Lelanophilus

I read this article about how if you write down plans of action for achieving your goals your likelihood of achieving them is much higher. The article calls them implementation intentions, which is sort of a mouthful. It is a good article though and you should totally read it. I’ll wait.

Right, the article says that you are twice as likely to follow through if you have written down how you are going to follow through. That this works probably has something to do with visualization. Imagining how awesome my muscles will look when I can do thirty-five pull ups in a row is good motivation but doesn’t actually help me get there. Imagining how I am going to get up in the morning and do more and more pull ups each day is forcing myself to focus on the implementation of my goal and paves the way to it.

I figured I’d write down some implementation intentions fora few of my new year resolutions.

• If it is 6:15 AM and a weekday then I will get out of bed and do exercise for half an hour. (It will probably be Just Dance 3 and pull ups.)
• If I am going to bed and I haven’t yet read my scriptures for the day then I will read them before I go to sleep.
• If it is Sunday night and I haven’t finished my letter to my mother for the week then I will finish it before I go to sleep.

I decided yesterday that I’m going to teach myself to write and draw and use a mouse with my left hand. Surely it is possible to teach myself to be ambidextrous.

Early attempts at writing and drawing are heartening. It feels like I am at the level of a first grader. The most aggravating thing is not being able to confidently draw circles. Pressing down hard enough to make a solid mark is also tricky.

Using the mouse isn’t awful but it is a lot less comfortable than with my right hand. I keep wanting to use my right hand because it will be easier but so far I’ve managed to resist. I haven’t swapped the mouse buttons either so that I’ll be able to use anybody’s computer with my left hand without having to do any jiggering of anything.

Soon I’ll be able to be my own evil twin! I’ll wear my watch on my right hand and write with my left hand and wear a moustache. But only on even days.

“Thoughts become things. If you see it in your mind, you will hold it in your hand.” — Bob Proctor