tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post245258771750305137..comments2023-04-02T06:54:02.940-07:00Comments on zen habits: My StoryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-47855187505293950242007-03-11T15:47:00.000-07:002007-03-11T15:47:00.000-07:00Thanks for the nice comments, Mahesh. I'm glad if ...Thanks for the nice comments, Mahesh. I'm glad if you've found this blog useful, and extremely happy if it's been inspiring!Leohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10821834623390426875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-66253936196921565222007-03-11T15:27:00.000-07:002007-03-11T15:27:00.000-07:00Great Blog! And congrats on positively changing yo...Great Blog! And congrats on positively changing yourself. You have become an inspiration to millions who are reading your wonderful blog, including me. And you are in my "personal heroes" list now!<BR/><BR/>Thanks for showing the way.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://srmiocc.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow">Mahesh</A>Maheshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07215838059757909020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-42359685891550833062007-03-09T13:58:00.000-08:002007-03-09T13:58:00.000-08:00Hi Marie ... wow, my first multi-lingual comment! ...Hi Marie ... wow, my first multi-lingual comment! I don't understand French, but I looked closely at each word and made guesses about the first sentence (something about impressing you very much and giving you courage?) and the last sentence (congratulating me?). So overall, it sounds like a wonderful comment! I appreciate that. French is such a beautiful language. I'd love to learn it some day.Leohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10821834623390426875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-17193805727026418982007-03-09T10:56:00.000-08:002007-03-09T10:56:00.000-08:00In French, because I don't qpeak (write) English v...In French, because I don't qpeak (write) English very well ;-)))<BR/>Tu m'impressionnes beaucoup et tu me donnes du courage.<BR/>J'ai emprunté le même chemin il y a quelques temps mais ne suis pas parvenue (encore) aux mêmes résultats ! Toutes mes félicitations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-87069887638111965522007-03-06T11:52:00.000-08:002007-03-06T11:52:00.000-08:00Hi Robin ... thanks for the nice comments and grea...Hi Robin ... thanks for the nice comments and great questions. I could probably write a book in response to those questions! But briefly:<BR/><BR/>* My family has been very supportive, especially my wife. My kids were at the finish line of my marathon with a home-made sign, cheering me on, and they regularly congratulate me on my accomplishments. I couldn't have done any of this stuff without my wife and family.<BR/>* I have faced a few detractors in the last year or so (see "How to Deal with Detractors" in the sidebar to the right). The resistance, for most goals, hasn't been that strong, and it's just another obstacle to overcome. Just stay positive.<BR/>* I think I have inspired others, which is amazing to me. First, I inspired my wife to become a runner, which is awesome. I've inspired people in my hometown to run, and a few (who had already been runners before) ran their first marathon with me! And through this blog, I've had others tell me that I've inspired them, which is the true purpose of the blog. It is immensely gratifying.<BR/><BR/>Thanks again for the great questions! If you have other questions, feel free to email me at zenhabits (at) gmail (dot) com. I'm pretty good at returning emails.Leohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10821834623390426875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-21940313341895457662007-03-06T08:33:00.000-08:002007-03-06T08:33:00.000-08:00Hi Leo,Your story is very inspiring and I commend ...Hi Leo,<BR/>Your story is very inspiring and I commend you on all of the positive changes you have implemented in your life. I'd like to hear about your experiences and challenges with how the changes you have made have impacted others in your life? Have you inspired others to change in your immediate family and how (directly, indirectly)? Have you experienced resistance from others? How do you deal with this?<BR/><BR/>Keep up the excellent blog!Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12362736468356066263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-21739858249857700312007-03-03T17:13:00.000-08:002007-03-03T17:13:00.000-08:00Thanks for the comment, Susie. It sounds like you ...Thanks for the comment, Susie. It sounds like you are doing great with your habits. And congrats on being self-employed ... that's my eventual goal in terms of employment. I'd love it if you could stick around and share your tips and experiences with these topics. Or feel free to email me about writing a guest post (zenhabits (at) gmail (dot) com). Thanks so much!Leohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10821834623390426875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-83939722143496787682007-03-03T04:56:00.000-08:002007-03-03T04:56:00.000-08:00Leo, your story is really refreshing to read, I am...Leo, your story is really refreshing to read, I am a woman-of-a-certain-age reader (and from the other comments, maybe in the minority here) but, like you, I find that daily practices, staying present, GTD, clean-as-I-go, have engendered positive changes in my life, too. I am an artist, self-employed, and find applying these zen principles to life not only make me more fit, more organized, more peaceful, but more creative as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-14484608996740593352007-02-28T19:57:00.000-08:002007-02-28T19:57:00.000-08:00Congrats on trying to become an early riser. Actua...Congrats on trying to become an early riser. Actually, you hit on one of my big motivations ... when my alarm goes off, I jump right up and head across the room to turn it off as quickly as possible, so I don't wake up the wife and babies. It usually only rings for a few seconds, and while they might stir a little, they don't usually wake up fully (or if they do, they go right back to sleep). If this isn't good enough for your situation, I would look for some kind of vibrating alarm clock solution -- I've heard of them but haven't tried any and can't recommend it. Lastly, another idea is earphones, if you're willing to sleep with them on, although I'm not sure if it would really work. Good luck!Leohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10821834623390426875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-81329350048797984962007-02-28T19:43:00.000-08:002007-02-28T19:43:00.000-08:00You are the man. These are great qualifications. A...You are the man. These are great qualifications. After reading this post, I am totally sold on your posts. <BR/><BR/>I am working on getting up early right now. The only struggle I am having is to keep noise level down so I won't wake up my family. Do you have any tips on that?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-27932648042195424352007-02-28T03:44:00.000-08:002007-02-28T03:44:00.000-08:00Hi Elwood ... thanks for the great comment and esp...Hi Elwood ... thanks for the great comment and especially for subscribing.<BR/><BR/>If I've inspired you at all, I am extremely happy. Like many people, you are trying to change your habits. I suggest you not focus on the negative (what you haven't done yet) and focus more on the positive ... such as how you are taking the time to improve your habits, and how far you've come already. Always focus on the positive -- it makes a huge difference. Celebrate your successes, and don't let your failures slow you down. Just start again. And again. Until you succeed. It can be done! I'm living proof (and as I said, I'm not perfect, but I've made lots of little improvements and have many more to make).<BR/><BR/>Good luck with your habit changes, and I hope I can be of help as you work towards your goals.Leohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10821834623390426875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-46251010249620727952007-02-28T00:50:00.000-08:002007-02-28T00:50:00.000-08:00Leo, I just read your comment in the 43 folders go...Leo, I just read your comment in the 43 folders google group, had a short look at the 3 postings, bookmarked them and decided to subscribe to your blog.<BR/>:-)<BR/><BR/>Then, being a little curious I had a short look at 'your story' and like the others I'm impressed that changing your life to a more organized and fullfilling one in such a short time is really possible.<BR/>Like - I think - most of those people getting interested in GTD, I'm not really happy with my work habits and I feel not getting enough things done, doing them too slowly and with much more stress than necessary. <BR/>For several weeks now I'm reading many comments on GTD and other interesting methods and there are a lot of things I want to change in my life (keep inboxes clean, keep home clean, don't do things always last minute or even later....).<BR/><BR/>Your story gave me a lot of hope and courage so keep up that interesting blog.<BR/><BR/>Kind regards from Germany<BR/><BR/>MartinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-6242242446093167912007-02-24T11:47:00.000-08:002007-02-24T11:47:00.000-08:00I'm just a regular guy. And I haven't really done ...I'm just a regular guy. And I haven't really done anything all that amazing ... I've just been changing my habits, a little at a time, taking two steps forward, falling one back, and then taking another two forward.<BR/><BR/>Yes, you can do it too. If I can, anyone can. And not just with the goals I've listed, but with anything. Start with something small. Want to be organized? Try just clearing out your inbox every day (see my article on that). Want to be a runner? Try walking three times a week, sprinkling your walking with a little running. And for each goal, don't just say, "I'll try to do it." Say, "I'm really gonna do it" and commit yourself fully (see my Top 20 Motivation Hacks). Really motivate yourself. Tell the world about it. If you only tell yourself, you're giving yourself a back door to let yourself out.<BR/><BR/>If you set a small goal, and really commit, and really motivate yourself, you can achieve it. And if you do, you will feel great. Then build on that feeling of success, and set another small goal.<BR/><BR/>A series of small goals adds up to a lot. That's what this article shows, not that I'm anything special. That little things, over time, really will seem like a lot when you look back on them.Leohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10821834623390426875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-44361743260012115742007-02-24T08:10:00.000-08:002007-02-24T08:10:00.000-08:00Who the h... are you? I did not think things like ...Who the h... are you? I did not think things like this were possible! I admire you without reservation. I wanna be like you. How can I ? You know, Leo, that most of us live life of quiet desperation ? <BR/><BR/>Thank You for such an exampleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-25619971264781497332007-02-20T15:19:00.000-08:002007-02-20T15:19:00.000-08:00Leo,I was looking for a way to contact you, but I ...Leo,<BR/><BR/>I was looking for a way to contact you, but I couldn't find a contact form or email so I decided to leave a comment.<BR/><BR/>I've been following your blog for a couple weeks and I find it really inspiring. You actually inspired me to take up GTD. I can't wait until the book arrives so I can get started.<BR/><BR/>I'm also a member and organizer of a blog network that I think your site would fit in very well with. The main purpose is to help readers find quality blogs, aimed at helping them improve their lives, and to help the blogs increase their readership.<BR/><BR/>You can see the network homepage at www.positiveblog.net . Check out some of the member sites, and let me know if you're interested so I can fill you in on the details.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-44389452989025381322007-02-08T10:57:00.000-08:002007-02-08T10:57:00.000-08:00Wow, Robert, great questions! Thanks for the comme...Wow, Robert, great questions! Thanks for the comment (and for reading and subscribing, btw) ...<BR/><BR/>You're right, once I got the ball rolling, the rest sort of fell into place (to mix metaphors). It started, like I said, with quitting smoking. I had tried to quit, and failed, several times before, but this time it stuck.<BR/><BR/>What was different? A number of things. First, I had strong motivation - I had made a promise to my daughter (the subject of an upcoming Motivation Hack) and also my wife, who was a smoker herself but who had quit temporarily while pregnant. I knew that if I didn't quit before my wife gave birth, she would go back to smoking right away, and I didn't want that (I worry about her health).<BR/><BR/>What else was different? Well, I joined an online quit smoking forum, and that was great support. I committed as publicly as possible to family and friends. I wrote down a plan, with rewards and strategies for overcoming urges (take deep breaths, drink water, eat healthy snacks, go running). Running also helped, because I started that while quitting. And there was the support of my wife.<BR/><BR/>All of those factors helped. It wasn't one thing. I think having a combination of motivations, tactics, commitments, support, all of that is what makes a successful goal. It's not as simple as saying "I'm going to do this" because as I found out, and so have you and countless others, we begin to lose motivation or focus (both are very related) and soon we drop the goal.<BR/><BR/>Robert, I am not a person of great dedication or sticktuitiveness. I have failed in many goals ... but like you said, I got the ball rolling and kept going. You can do it too, and so can anyone, if I can!Leohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10821834623390426875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849347442005677481.post-57460241205309146072007-02-08T06:27:00.000-08:002007-02-08T06:27:00.000-08:00Leo, congrats on all the accomplishments over the ...Leo, congrats on all the accomplishments over the past year. It seems like you got the ball rolling and everything just rolled along after that. <BR/><BR/>My question involves getting started. What event, etc in your life made you take such drastic steps? Was there one thing that gave you motivation to change? On top of that, what gave you the motivation to keep going? I often have initial plans to make changes, but the fire quickly burns out. Any advice you could give would be great.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the good work, I subscribe to your blog and read it daily. <BR/><BR/>Thanks,<BR/><BR/>RobertAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com