Is "the hard part" changing one's perspective to allow the new habit to take root? If so, it seems for Penn like that perspective change was from realizing he wanted to be alive longer for his two kids. I wonder how much of the perspective change was jump-started by his life-changing surgery.
Asked another way, could he have changed his perspective, skipped the surgery, and just lost the weight with his new outlook and eating habits?
The "hard part," as I meant it, and I think as Jillette meant it, was more referring to the time period-- the period of "eating healthy the rest of my life" versus the three months of losing the weight.
I think your question is referring to how one would go about about achieving that--what needs to change to keep doing something for a long time, in general, and what changed for Penn specifically?
This would be my opinion based on my reading of the book, and my general reading and experience, but here goes.
For Penn, I think both the kids thing and the threat of surgery thing played a role, for sure. Both helping to shift perspective, what he values more (between e.g. having a hardcore attitude about food and being healthy), and what he believes would make him happier.
I think you're asking if he could have made this shift without being about to die / the threat of surgery?
If that's your question, my answer, based on seeing a lot of people shift ideas about food and healthy eating (including me): you don't need the life-threatening situation. But it can help.
Something needs to "wake you up" but it doesn't need to be death like with Penn, Simon Cowell or Bill Clinton. Many things can do it including personal search. But if you're depending on soul searching, truth-seeking, self-help, and self-improvement (which I think works, and worked for me), I just think its a little harder, maybe it takes a little longer. You don't have the "jump-start" as you say.
I think you use what you have--whatever it is: ego, desire, threat of death, heroes, story--to get you see see something from a different vantage point. And then, once you get a little bit of the progress, you can build from there.
I agree with your nuanced take here. From what I've seen and read, many people experience some sort of significant incident to "wake them up" and jumpstart the core change in belief that fuels the new habits. There are also plenty of people who just keep those "good" habits out of an already-standing set of core principles of values. Since this second group doesn't have to make radical changes, often they can tweak or shift habits in more subtle ways
Is "the hard part" changing one's perspective to allow the new habit to take root? If so, it seems for Penn like that perspective change was from realizing he wanted to be alive longer for his two kids. I wonder how much of the perspective change was jump-started by his life-changing surgery.
Asked another way, could he have changed his perspective, skipped the surgery, and just lost the weight with his new outlook and eating habits?
This is great. Thanks, Ger.
The "hard part," as I meant it, and I think as Jillette meant it, was more referring to the time period-- the period of "eating healthy the rest of my life" versus the three months of losing the weight.
I think your question is referring to how one would go about about achieving that--what needs to change to keep doing something for a long time, in general, and what changed for Penn specifically?
This would be my opinion based on my reading of the book, and my general reading and experience, but here goes.
For Penn, I think both the kids thing and the threat of surgery thing played a role, for sure. Both helping to shift perspective, what he values more (between e.g. having a hardcore attitude about food and being healthy), and what he believes would make him happier.
I think you're asking if he could have made this shift without being about to die / the threat of surgery?
If that's your question, my answer, based on seeing a lot of people shift ideas about food and healthy eating (including me): you don't need the life-threatening situation. But it can help.
Something needs to "wake you up" but it doesn't need to be death like with Penn, Simon Cowell or Bill Clinton. Many things can do it including personal search. But if you're depending on soul searching, truth-seeking, self-help, and self-improvement (which I think works, and worked for me), I just think its a little harder, maybe it takes a little longer. You don't have the "jump-start" as you say.
I think you use what you have--whatever it is: ego, desire, threat of death, heroes, story--to get you see see something from a different vantage point. And then, once you get a little bit of the progress, you can build from there.
Thoughts?
I agree with your nuanced take here. From what I've seen and read, many people experience some sort of significant incident to "wake them up" and jumpstart the core change in belief that fuels the new habits. There are also plenty of people who just keep those "good" habits out of an already-standing set of core principles of values. Since this second group doesn't have to make radical changes, often they can tweak or shift habits in more subtle ways