TedTalk: Change Anything! Use skillpower over willpower

You can watch this talk here: youtu.be/3TX-Nu5wTS8

I just finished watching this Tedtalk, with notes, and I feel like this is a talk that everyone needs to hear at least once in their lives. Even if you are successful in everything that you put your mind to, you can pass the information in that talk along to help someone who struggles to do what they want to do.

There are two concepts stressed in this talk that resonated with me.

1.) Align yourself and your life with your goals. This is called the Six Sources of Influence in the talk. It's common knowledge that when we are supported and away from temptation we have a higher chance of success. However, in reality, we cannot stay at a retreat for the rest of our days, we must deal with temptation on a daily basis. HOWEVER, aligning your life around achieving your goals means that you'll be less likely to encounter temptations AND you'll have a support group in place in case you find yourself tempted.

2.) Turn bad days into good data. Too many people, myself included, have a bad day and practically give up on their progress. Instead of getting down on ourselves, turning the focus to why we gave in or didn't do what we should've done is key. Discovering the why is what will help us overcome the situation the next time it arrives because when we know the WHY we can find out HOW to overcome it. For example, I have a weakness for French toast and we just got an iHop in my town. When my friends ask me to go, I know that instead of ordering French toast I will only order from their healthier food option section. I will not look at the rest of the menu because it is likely that I will give in. The same can be said for Burger King. For years I would only be able to get Burger King once or twice a year. It was a special treat for me in a way. Then I moved to a town that had a Burger King on the way to the grocery store. My impulse always kicked in when I drove by and I would find myself pulling into the parking lot and ordering food without much thought. Then, since I know it's a weakness, I started driving a different way to the grocery store. Currently, the impulse is practically gone and I can drive the normal way to the store without worry.

Anyways, I just wanted to share this video with you all because it is something I'm going to use myself and have my clients use with Beachbody and when I become a registered dietician!