Last week I set a few goals for myself.  These included drinking more water, which proved to be a much easier feat than I imagined.  I simply had to take my water bottle with me to more places.  Constantly sipping on water proved to hydrate me with an additional eight to sixteen ounces of water a day.  As long as I continue to pack my water bottle in my purse, I think it will be relatively easy to maintain this habit.  However, reducing my weekly trash output proved to be much more difficult.  I already recycle regularly and try to buy fresh food.  Finding food with minimal packaging was harder than I thought because in some ways it completely changed my grocery shopping habits.  The only meat I could buy without packaging had to be fresh- which made it more expensive.  I got the grocery store to collect my fresh food and realized that you have to put fresh food in small plastic bags… crap… back home to get a clean re-usable bag to carry the fruits and vegetables.  But crackers for my tortilla soup come in a cardboard box and the yogurt I like doesn’t come in large containers, only individual serving sizes.  As the days passed, I was getting dangerously close to not accomplishing my weekly trash goal.  From my trash monitoring, I realized that I didn’t in fact know what I could and couldn’t recycle in Manhattan.  Consequently, I have only recycled items that I was positive the recycling center would accept.  I have thrown away plastics that were not 1 and 2 or weren’t clearly labeled because I was ignorant of the local recycling options.  It dawned on me that I haven’t been recycling unwanted mail and magazines for almost 3 years now.  I either threw them away or in a junk cabinet.   This week I collected a bag of items that I was unsure about, the huge stack of magazines, plus my usual recycling and visited the recycling center.  While I was there I used the opportunity to go through each item I was unsure about and determine whether I could recycle it locally.  I was able to recycle every item in the bag.  And so I cut my weekly trash output by one bag… but it was a slim win.  It caused me some stress because I am still not aware of all of my food choices that have limited packaging.  This will take some time.  But it is knowledge that is easy to acquire.  It just takes a bit more effort- like the recycling center trip.  I hope you were able to successfully monitor something in your life and understand where changes can be made.

I’m going to draw from Foucault’s work to elaborate more on the notion of “the self.”  Foucault explains that there are four ways an individual establishes themselves as a moral subject responsible for his or her actions.  The first way concerns the motivation a person has to be a beacon of moral conduct.  Discovering why you want to transform may seem flippant, but you might be surprised by your answer.  For some people, it may be to be happier, for others it might be to improve productivity or interpersonal relationships.  Foucault’s second principle of the self relates to what prompts an individual to recognize their moral obligations.  Are you motivated by external or internal pressures?  The next principle is the way in which a person transforms their personal nature and character.  I obviously find habit formation helpful for self-transformation, but there are other methods of change to utilize.  Finally, discovering what sort of ‘self’ an individual seeks to be is the critical to becoming a responsible, moral being.  What can we take from this?  That we can discover what makes up our “selves” and what motivates us to rise to our moral nature and obligations.

Foucault describes knowing the soul as the principle activity of caring for one’s self.  Identifying one’s soul is much too grand a subject for this space, but I appreciate the concept.  Knowing one’s soul is principle to caring for your ‘self’… what an inspiring notion!  I will not discuss ideations of the soul.  But, when we talk about self-transformation, I want to us to consider our work on our ‘selves’ to be work on our ‘souls.’  Media, religion and stories present the soul as something dark or light. So if you don’t have a dark soul, you have a light, shiny, flawless soul that encompasses who you are at your essence.  People have a better impression of their souls than their ‘selves,’ right?  We overload our ‘selves’ with all kinds of self-doubt, grief, guilt, apathy and frustration.  Our ‘selves’ are often battered and broken from years of self-abuse.  Give up the grief, damn it!  We are more willing to change or cultivate something we feel optimistic about.  So, at least in this space, let’s consider our ‘soul’ to be our ‘self.’  At least until we stop judging ourselves.  We must start in a place of hope- this is completely essential.  You need to give up the self-doubts, the internal putdowns and the expectation that you should be or enjoy anything different than you actually, honestly enjoy.  We spend much more time trying to be someone different than we actually spend accepting who we are.  So if you suffer from self-abuse, as many of us do, just pretend we are refurbishing your soul.

Foucault describes knowing the soul is an endeavor that requires a review of the divine.  Our interpretation of the divine varies drastically; yet, we can all agree that consideration of the divine begets growth and change.  Foucault argues that political and behavioral feats derive from our ability to contemplate our ‘self.’  In other words, we must be familiar with our ‘selves’ if we are going to make developmental and moral changes.  In fact, Foucault argues that being familiar with one’s self is critically linked to political activities.  In essence, we must know our ‘selves’ to productively assert ourselves as moral and political beings.

Okay so let’s get familiar… with our… ‘Selves.’

While individuals are much more alike than they are dissimilar, these distinctions are very critical.  So let’s talk about who we are in relation to others.  Mind you, we tend to want to hope or pretend that we are something more or less than we are.  This exercise is to accept who you are because who you are is good and the essence of yourself it is all you will ever be- so, just except the good and glorious changes we all need.  So please, when you ponder your distinctions do not exaggerate, inflate, devalue, misconstrue or underestimate your answers.  The truth is important- and really will set you free.

These questions pertain to what motivates you as an individual.  The intention of this exercise is to help you know yourself better, so you can make more successful changes by choosing informed habits to adopt.  Which option do you prefer?

Am I a marathoner, a sprinter, or a procrastinator?

Do I prefer a slow steady work schedule; a slow start and then a quick, intensive           finish, or do I put the assignment off until the last minute?

Do I love simplicity or abundance? 

Do I like a simple, clean environment or a space adorned with items of charm?  Do I like a lot of projects, or just one large one?  Do I enjoy several activities, or a few hobbies whole-heartedly?  Do I have a closet full of clothes or work out equipment, or just a few dozen outfits and some handheld weights?

Am I a finisher or an opener?

Do I most enjoy opening a project or finishing a project?

Do I enjoy familiarity or novelty?

Do I prefer a steady, consistent schedule, or an inconsistent, unique lifestyle, or something in between?  For instance, if I was interested in habitually exercising, do I prefer to try a new exercise program or resume an old jogging routine again?

Am I promotion-focused or prevention focused?

Do I prefer to mitigate a conflict or solve it?  Usually people who are promotion focused appreciate praise, focus on achievement and strive to gain more.  Prevention focused people concentrate on fulfilling obligations, avoiding loss and minimizing potential crises.

Do I prefer small steps or big steps?

Do you like to move quickly, or assuredly?

Experts often argue that we should not have multiple habit projects happening simultaneously because it can overtax our willpower.  For myself, change seems to beget change.  I am of the opinion that my unwanted habits seem to strengthen each other, and the opposite is just as true.  I like to work on multiple habits because it seems to create a motivating environment of growth.  Recent literature seems to be going in a similar direction; developing good habits help to promote work productivity.  Before we get into habit formation, I want us to start making some critical changes in our lives that will help to boost the successfulness of good habit development:

• Get enough sleep
• Eat balanced meals
• Exercise
• Create an organized living and work environment

The first three are relatively obvious, but ‘uncluttering’ our lives has also been shown to be highly effective for improving our moods.  Having an organized, clean household produces internal calmness.  Let’s start spring cleaning in February!  We all live very busy lives, so ‘uncluttering’ can certainly take some time.  To accomplish this task, I created a list of all the spaces in my apartment that need to be sorted through and organized.  Slowly, but surely I have organized these various spaces one at a time, when I have time.  As I have mentioned before, I love to multi-task and use my time efficiently.  So when I watch TV in the evenings before bed, I simultaneously go through a junk drawer, my kitchen cabinets, filing cabinets and pantry while I watch TV.  It can be oddly enjoyable to purge.  But please, don’t just head to the trash can!  Recycle, repurpose, sell or give away unwanted items.  We are trying to improve our ‘selves,’ but for the purpose of becoming healthier, happier people who seek socially and environmentally responsible self-transformation.  You know people often tell me that they don’t have enough time to sleep more or exercise.  I can certainly empathize, but just remember that sleep and exercise improve our energy levels and productivity.  Focus on getting 30 more minutes of sleep per night and exercising for just 20 minutes a few times a week.

We will discuss motivation and habit formation more next week.  Continue to monitor your behavior and choices; it is an imperative lifetime strategy for a healthy, happy, responsible life.

 

Foucault, Michel. “Technologies of the Self.”, edited by Luther H. Martin, Huck Gutman and Patrick H. Hutton, pp. 16-49. Univ. of Massachusetts Press, 1988.

Rubin, Gretchen. Better than Before. Broadway Books: New York, 2015.