Log #8

After this week’s reading, it suddenly occurred to me that the methods I used before were completely inefficient and time-wasting. One is “rewarding” and the other is “facing the finish line.” Both of them were correspondently the contents that I was surrounded this week.

On one hand, ever since I was young, my parents always motivated or persuaded me to do something with the strategy of rewarding. Therefore, it was common for me to use the same path when I grew up. Although “rewarding” a good behavior sounds like a sensible idea on the surface, a reward may change our attitude toward a behavior. It tends to make us care more about the “rewards” instead of behaving well. It’s definitely the same story to form a good habit. Once we reward ourselves or are rewarded, we seem to receive something that directly undermines our habits. Take one of my friends for an example, she has been on a diet for a long time. Recently, she thinks that she has kept this habit for a while and it’s necessary to reward her persistence, which is going to an all-you-can-eat restaurant and having chocolate cakes all the time. Unfortunately, everything she has maintained is all in vain and everything is out of control. Another reason is that if we keep convincing ourselves “I’m on a diet because I want an iPad.” The essential and original part is absolutely not “diet” but “iPad” instead.

On the other hand, I’m indulged in “facing the finish line.” To tell the truth, a finish line marks a stopping point, and starting over is much harder than continuing. Because I’m the obligor, I need to have external accountability or a goal to motivate myself to form a good habit. However, if I reach it eventually, there’s no longer any motivation. Therefore, persuading ourselves to have a stopping point is not a good idea to maintain a habit. Good habits need to remain forever, and my example is completely the true picture of illuminating.