Log #5

Better Than Before

－Gretchen Rubin

     It is totally understood that everyone wants to be better than before. With targets, with ideals, with dreams, everyone strives for a better life. But with good habits? Could you believe good habits help you develop a great quality of yourself? In the book, Better Than Before, Gretchen Rubin will investigate how habits behave in human nature.
     The author refers to that people can be categorized by four tendencies: (1) Upholders, who respond readily to outer and inner expectations. (2) Questioners, who always question expectations, and only when they think the "expectation" makes sense will they take an action. (3) Obligers, who meet outer expectation, and struggle to meet the expectations that they impose on themselves. (4) Rebels, who resist all expectations. Based on the definitions and instants, I can conclude that I am totally a Obliger. Here are many anticipations that I want to fall into the Upholders category. Nevertheless, the fact couldn't be obvious. My lifetime and I seemed to belong other people not myself. I panic when I let down everyone that I care. One solution is to push myself to the limit, to the edge because I know they have high expectations of me. Due to the way I live for a quite long time, I become passive when there is a need to make a decision. If nobody tells me to do one thing, I won't do that thing. For example, my father expects me to be a teacher. Without his expectation, I won't have made up my mind to pursue this goal. Despite the fact that once I longed for such kinds of career related to education, I feel hesitated to let imagine go wild. But believe me no matter what kinds of people you are, it just means a distinct lifestyle for every individual. 
    The reason to divide people into four types is to help people get more acquainted with themselves and teach people how to shape their habits. Take myself for instance, now I know I am a obliger. Forming a good habit is relatively hard because I won't be active unless someone looks forward to my action. Therefore, if I want to exercise regularly as my habit, then I think someone, who cares of my health, can play an essential role－telling me keeping fitness, working out with me, encouraging me. I am convinced I will do care much of the habit than before.