There is Power in Not Doing, Too
Action and Inaction are Both Keys to Success
In my last post, I talked about getting on board with Rich Roll’s motto, Mood Follows Action. At the end of that post, I committed to another week of following a whole food plant-based diet and abstaining from alcohol. That was three or four days ago, and while I’ve been sticking to my new healthy habits, I’ve also been thinking about them a lot. What I’ve come to realize is that in this case, I’m not doing anything so much as I’m not doing specific things.
To quit overloading my body with refined carbs and sugars, most of my mental energy has been going into not eating them. But then I realized that there are some complimentary actions that are helping to make that go as smoothly as possible. So, while the real key to success in this case is not buying, baking or cooking those unhealthy items, I’m also buying, preparing and eating other, healthier things.
On the flip side, there are other endeavors that seem to be all about doing. Take writing, for example. To write a blogpost, article or book, I need to sit down and write. But my own experience here says that I also need to not do other things. I need to not look at my phone, check my email, dust the windowsill, look at my phone, work out, mess with my indoor garden, or look at my phone.
Ruminating on this, it became clear to me that behavior change is always a two-part process involving certain actions we have to take, and other actions we have to abstain from or delay.
I’m not sure why, but realizing this feels like a game-changer for me. Stopping to consciously say, “I need to write today, so right now I’m going to clear away all of the procrastinating distractions and start typing,” makes it so much easier to sit down and do what I need to. On the flip side, buying fruits and vegetables, meal prepping, sourcing and cooking healthy recipes makes it so much easier to not eat bread, cookies, crackers, pasta, chips and all the other glucose-spiking, empty-calorie junk my brain thinks it wants.
Maybe this is “Ah-ha!” moment for me is more like “Duh!” for you, but right now, I’ll take every bit of positive traction I can get.
