Stephen Guise's Blog, page 28

The Dangers Of Perfectionism (Interview With Dr. Anita Sanz)

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Anita Sanz, who has been a clinicalpsychologist for over 20 years. Anita blogsatthe cleverly-titledSanz Planz, and has authored the book, “A Year To Change.”

I was eager to see what insights Anitahas gained over so many years of helping people help themselves, and I was not disappointed. In this interview, we talk about perfectionism, eating disorders, depression, and themyriadof ways a person canapproach change. Note: Thiswas a video interview, but due t...

Don’t Tell Me You Don’t Have Time

You have time for the things that matter to you.

“I don’t have time” isbetter phrased as, “that’s not important enough.”

What if there’s an emergency? You have time for that.
What if you’re in a business meeting and someone offers you 72million dollars to leave without saying a word? Goodbye meeting!

Time Is NEVER ValidAs A General Excuse

Do you ever tell yourself you don’t have time for something? No time to exercise? Not enough time to sleep a 8 hours per night? Not enough time to cook meals?

Don...

The 30 Day Cold Shower Experiment (Complete!)

You don’t even need to use that knob on the left. The blue one works just fine. (photoby eelke dekker)

I’ve decided to experiment by only taking cold showers for the next 30 days (and potentially longer). I literally just finished my first cold shower today, and I’ll be documenting the whole experience here.

“You freak! Why take cold showers?”

Cold showers have a number of documented health benefits
Cold showers are challenging—I like to challenge myself
Cold showers are refreshing. Ridiculously r...

The Cold Shower Experiment (30 Days)

You don’t even need to use that knob on the left. The blue one works just fine. (photoby eelke dekker)

I’ve decided to experiment by only taking cold showers for the next 30 days (and potentially longer). I literally just finished my first cold shower today, and I’ll be documenting the whole experience here.

“You freak! Why take cold showers?”

Cold showers have a number of documented health benefits
Cold showers are challenging—I like to challenge myself
Cold showers are refreshing. Ridiculously r...

Emotional Gambling: The Problem With Expectations

Having high expectations at the casino rarely ends well, but I think she did alright. (photoby Bev Wagar)

I have two questions for you:

1. Shouldyou expect to lovethis article?

A. You could expect this article to bea revelation that transforms your life.
B. You could come into this article with no expectations, saying, “I’m not sure what I’ll get out of this, but I’ll read it to find out.”

2. ShouldI expect this article to be well-received?

A.I could basemy identity as a writer and person on how we...

When Fear Means Opportunity

If you’re afraid, take notice. You could be facingthe opportunity of a lifetime.

There’s a big difference between “pure” fear—like when you believe your life is in danger—and the morecommon, harmlessfear.

I’m moving to Portland, Oregon after only 4 months in Jacksonville Beach, FL.I’m afraidbecause it’s going to be expensive (high fees for breaking my current lease, plus other moving costs), I’m moving from a 950 sq. ft. luxury apartment into a TINY 150sq. ft. apartment, and the city is much co...

Is It Better To Base Your Goals On Time Or Quantity?

It’s an important topicthat’srarely, if ever discussed.

When setting a goal, is it betterto aim for a certain numberofquantifiable milestonesor toaim for an amount of time?

Example: should you aim to run for three miles or 20 minutes?

The right answer depends on several factors that we’ll cover. I like to write for the “beginner” in a way that advanced achievers can benefit too. For example, Mini Habits can help the most undisciplined peopleturn their habits and life around, but the concepts can...

The Imperfect Travel Experiment (Liveblog)

“I’ve made a huge mistake.”

WEDNESDAY, Nov 5th 8 PM(EST)

Have you ever thought, “what if I just packed my bags right now and went somewhere?” I’ve had that thought quite often, andthis time, I’m pulling the trigger and I’m (digitally) bringing you along with me!

I’m going to Portland tomorrow and staying for one week.

…but I shouldn’t.Interestingly, this trip has a high chance of failure. Here’s why I might be making a mistake…

Reasons I Should NOTGo (Imperfections)

I decided to go tonight at8 PM on...

Growth Mindset Vs. Performance Mindset

You have a very important choice to make today:will you be growth-driven or performance-driven?

Choose to be growth-driven.

Here’s why performance-driven mindsets are bad:

A performance-driven person constantly evaluates themselves, their performance, and how they measure up to expectations. It results inpersistent, sometimes crippling self-judgment and perfectionism. This is a common way people go about their lives, but it comes with the following problems:

Shame & guilt
Feelings of inadequacy
Pr...

WARNING: Don’t Overanalyze Procrastination

The hardest problem to try to solve is one that doesn’t actually exist.

Sometimeswhen I’ve been procrastinating, I’ve assumed that there’s some huge problem that’s preventing me from working. Shortly after,I find myself focused on finding thisproblem:

Am I too tired?
Aremy motivation and/or willpower low?
Am I lost on my project and thus avoiding it?
Am I giving in too easily to distractions? Am I addicted to them?

When I assume that there is aproblem preventing me from working right now, I’ll try...