In 2008, AT&T had a great commercial touting the new reminder features on their smartphones. The premise of the commercial is a family has a live-in task-master named Sven that keeps them on track. My wife and I joke that we need a Sven when we start to get behind on things that really need attention. Sometimes it feels like the lists are really long and need prioritization, but we just aren't motivated to stick to the grind. Sometimes everyone feels like they need a Sven, but that's not true.
I have had the good fortune to be able to work with a personal trainer over the past 6 months and the relationship has been great. The best part for me is that the ownership for success is on me, not my trainer. Some people feel like they need someone to just "tell them what to do" like Sven does in the commercial. What they don't realize is this mentality transfers the ownership of the outcome to the trainer and that won't work. You have to get invested and own the outcome.
Second, I've been managing diabetes for 20 years and have worked with a few different endocrinologists over that time. I have to say, it's been a challenge to have to engage a medical community and feel a sense of ownership. The treatments for diabetes are very clinical in nature. Welcome to type 2 diabetes, here is your Metformin prescription and watch the carbs, and we will see you in 6 months. There is so much education needed for diabetes. It can be managed! I would leave so many check-ups feeling like I missed a memo or something. Worse yet, my type 2 migrated to LADA which is a whole different beast. I didn't even know that was a thing until it happened. Look, I want to live to see my children's lives and that holds a lot of passion for me. I want to be able to roll around on the ground and play with grandbabies if I am so lucky!
Finally, the proverb "necessity is the mother of invention" is the easy way out and is too late when your health is in the picture. To make changes you wish to make in yourself stick, you have to work to understand yourself, your motivations, and come to understand that you are lazy. You are not just a little lazy; you are very lazy at the DNA level. We are wired to jump the fastest way possible to a reward. This takes a lot of work and focus to understand how to approach goal setting. You can have a big goal, but do yourself a favor and start small. Build up to achieve the outcomes you want.
Gaining confidence that you can devise a realistic approach to a goal is really, really empowering. For me, I woke up 1-day overweight, out of shape, and always tired. I signed up to work with a trainer at a new gym on the spot. Now, it could have been I was working with a good salesperson that is the GM for the gym, but I felt I could take on a challenge because I feel equipped with the tools to set goals, a willingness to experiment, and of course measure and track.
I have read, mostly listened to, many books on behavior and motivation over the years. The key takeaways from all the time invested in these books for me are as follows.
1. You have to feel ownership in the outcome to be able to see it through
2. Attaining a goal is much easier if you can attach it to something you are passionate about
3. Big changes are difficult to make habitual
The following books and authors are a good subset of getting an understanding of how you can become your own Sven. I hope you find them informational and entertaining. Feel free to finish these up over the weekend, and we will discuss on Monday😁
Malcolm Gladwell brings really relevant topics to light with anecdotal stories and data-driven approaches. His format is excellent for audiobooks. Try the book Outliers to get introduced to his work. Then, try Tipping Point. His most recent book is called Talking to Strangers. I like it because there are important messages, but it has a couple of solemn society related chapters that I struggled to process and not negatively impact my mood for the day. While listening on my commute to work, I would get out of my car and say, “WTF”, out loud.
Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinenmeier Hansson, and Mike Chamerlain is a go-to for me when work gets too crazy. The authors are founders of a software company that totally bucks the traditional way you think a business should run and are so spot on. It’s a super-fast read/listen.
Stealing Fire by Stephen Kotler and Jamie Wheal has a spin towards tech companies, but there is a particular chapter on “Flow” worth studying. It’s essentially the concept that teams are typically asked to ‘rise to the occasion’ but often sink to the level of training. This pertains to the most trained teams on the planet, Navy Seals. Pretty fascinating.
The Dip by Seth Godin brings some interesting perspective of when to persevere vs. quit. Seth is another author worth reading/listening to a few books. Try Tribes. The psychology of belonging and group dynamics for motivation is interesting in this book. Linchpin is another good listen.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Mason. Intriguing title aside, it has some useful tools for focusing on what’s important and owning your destiny.
Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg. Crosses into business a lot, but also on goal setting. A better book of his is The Power of Habit, really good.
Start with Why by Simon Sinek is a super important book for me. It’s incredibly relevant in getting people to understand your perspective and influence the outcome of a vision or strategy.
Drive by Daniel Pink - Great book on understanding what motivates us.
Little Bets by Peter Sims - I like to experiment. This book gives some justification for just trying stuff and see if it’s something to build on.
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman is a really interesting study of the brain and how evolution and laziness are difficult to overcome. Really insightful.
Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer is really cool to get an understanding of what our brain is capable of.
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