Change can be scary. And sometimes, fears about what transformation might cost us can lead us to sabotage our own success. We may have mixed feelings about leaving certain parts of our selves (or our lives) behind–even if they are things that we don’t particularly like.

These worries and fears are totally normal. But left unexamined or unchecked, they can keep us stuck. 

In this episode, we’re going to get all of that out in the open, so we can engage with it more intentionally…and more productively.

For some endeavors, all you need to succeed is knowledge and a good reason to follow through.  As long as you have a good set of instructions, you should be able to succeed on your first try. 

Acquiring a skill, however, requires knowledge plus practice. 

 If you expect to succeed at a skill without allowing yourself time to practice, you're likely to be frustrated.  (And we don't want that!)

If you have ever come up with a scheme to keep yourself from succumbing to temptation, you have experimented with a thing called a commitment device. As you’ll see, you are not the first to try this.

In this episode, we’re talking about different types of commitment devices and whether they might be useful in staying on track with whatever you are trying to accomplish in your life–whether that’s breaking a bad habit, establishing a new behavior, or meeting a challenge that you’ve set for yourself.

As a society, we place a very high value on optimization. Now that it’s so easy to track your nutrition, sleep, exercise, productivity, your stock gains or weather, you naturally want to optimize them. What we don't always acknowledge is that optimizing for one thing is likely to cost you gains in at least one other domain. 

In this episode, we talk about why it’s so important to be clear on exactly what value you are optimizing for–-and what you are willing to sacrifice in order to do that. It is a tricky balance to find but well worth the effort. 

Our evaluation of a certain experience can be heavily influenced by things that actually have nothing to do with it. For example, if we happen to be very thirsty when we sample a new beverage, we may later remember it as being far better than it actually was. 

It’s called attribution bias. And if left unexamined, it can lead us to make choices or decisions that are not based on our actual goals and values.

As with so many other things, correcting for attribution bias starts with becoming aware of its existence.

Takeaways

1. Our response to an idea or judgment of an experience may have as much to do with the context in which we encounter it than the thing itself. 
2. Attribution bias may lead us to decisions or choices that don’t actually represent our true desires or values.
3. Considering how the same experience would feel in a different context is a way of checking or correcting for attribution bias. 
4. It’s impossible to completely rid ourselves of attribution bias–but being aware that it exists can mitigate its power and allow us to make more accurate judgements and better decisions. 

In this episode, we talk about the importance of distinguishing between stress and stressors. Because this can be the first step toward reducing their negative effects, both on our bodies and on our lives.

According to a recent survey by the American Psychological Association, 84% of adults reported feeling stressed out. Two-thirds say that they feel overwhelmed by the issues they face. 

This is no way to live, much less thrive. 

Focusing on a lot of projects at once is a good way to make sure none of them get done. In this episode, we dig into why focusing our efforts on one change at a time can create more change in our lives in the long run. This applies to projects we want to accomplish/finish, not just the habits we want to create.

Most of us have a long list of things about our lives (or ourselves) that we would like to change. The problem is that when we try to change too many things at once, we end up changing nothing. That is why knowing what to focus on, and when, is essential.

In this episode, we'll show you how to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones on the road to success.

We may stumble when we’re trying something new and don’t yet know where the tricky parts are. (Fair enough!)  And then there are those things that we seem to stumble over and over again.  You’d think we’d learn how to avoid them! But one of the reasons that we don’t is that we focus on the wrong part of the story.

Every path to success includes its share of stumbling blocks. 

In this episode, psychologist Dr. Monica Johnson talks with Monica about the ways in which people with ADHD often struggle with various aspects of behavior change–whether that’s staying focused on the goal, following through on plans, or resisting impulses that lead them astray. 

Monica Johnson, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist and owner of Kind Mind Psychology, a private practice in NYC.  She is also a busy speaker, author, and mentor–as well as the host of the Savvy Psychology podcast.  Visit her at kindmindpsych.com

When we become aware of a gap between our present reality and our desired reality, our inclination is to add something. A new practice. A new program. A new effort. When that doesn’t work, we go back to the drawing board and add another thing. 

What if the answer were not to add something new but to subtract something that is not working, or not pulling its weight?