"Requires pivoting from avoidant persistence to committed action; redirects the yearning to be competent. We are always building larger patterns of action, known as habits....
Habit building is a moment-by-moment process. If we try to change our habits in one fell swoop, our efforts tend to lead to procrastination and inaction, impulsivity, or avoidant persistence and workaholism. The Action pivot focuses us instead on the process of competently and continuously building habits in small steps linked to the construction of larger habits of loving, caring, participating, creating, or any other chosen value....
We may become obsessive about trying to prove our competence or avoidant of the shame of not being perfect. Procrastination is one way we avoid these situations; we mistake it for a way to keep feelings of failure or anxiety about the prospective of failure at bay, but it only ultimately intensifies them. Of course, often we also just abandon the effort altogether.
As the Dictator deflects our attention away from the intrinsic value of our current efforts, including the learning we can gain from our stumbles, and focuses our mind on the need for achievement, we can slip into another form of avoidance. Despite their appearances, some forms of persistence are actually forms of avoidance, driven by fear (failure, for example). Workaholism and perfectionism are examples. These rigid forms of persistence carry with them a strong negative health impact as well as leading people to ignore relationships and recreation.
The Action pivot takes the yearning for competence and directs it toward building habits of value-based actions that are authentically meaningful to us. That undermines both procrastination and workaholism.
S pecific
M easurable
A ttainable
R esult Focused
T ime bound
Try it on.
Just Because I Choose To
Another great way to strengthen your commitment skills is always to have at least one slightly difficult thing you are doing 'just cuz'.
Ex: Go a week without a preferred food, just cuz.
Ex: Deliberately embarrass yourself by wearing something slightly off (e.g., a loud unattractive shirt, mismatched socks) each week, just cuz."
Adapted from A Liberated Mind by Steven. C Hayes, Ph.D
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