Thursday, October 22, 2009

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Bad habit industries

Consumer habits around which industries have grown:
  1. over spending
  2. over eating
  3. over drinking
  4. over drugging
Consumer society encourages addiction:
I am a 54 year old (or young) woman who has been dealing with weight issues my whole life.
Addiction recovery industry temporarily saves you from your addiction:
I think I’ve tried every method of losing weight at least twice, from Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig to medically supervised fasting for months.
Then the consumer society in which we must live transforms the consumer into an addict once again:
I keep going back to Weight Watchers, which really is the only one that works long-term for me. The program does work if I stay with it, which is the catch.
Addiction recovery becomes a life habit. Is there anyone who broke this habit for life?

Corporate habits

Humans get addicted to sugar. Corporation get addicted to their own sugar:
Sugar and its companion sweeteners are addictive; so are government subsidies. Individual Americans should break the sweets habit and demand their government wean corn farmers off the government dole.
The FDIC wants banks to stand on their own two feet, but withdrawing insurance on big checking accounts won't be popular.

Wearing habits

It's interesting that "habit" also refers to specialized garments worn to display status, profession or function. Like riding habit, tennis habit or religious habits. We wear our habits as well but they are invisible.
Well, the accoutrements are important. I took up tennis for the same reason I took up horseback riding—part of it is about the habit. Habit is an old word, like a riding habit or a tennis habit. Part of the intrigue was to go to Vuitton and get the tennis racket and the tennis bag, the box for the bottle of water. I don’t do anything unless I think about my habit.

Can't change a habit by persuasion 2

Here's a monstrous and senseless bureaucratic way to fight a habit by showing graphic pictures and by using scare tactics to change a well-established habit.
No matter how persuading and disgusting a persuasion is it will not communicate with the habit and will have no effect on the habit. It will only communicate with the reason, that is, the executive OS.
In this case you must create good driving habits. In other words, action can only be replaced by action. Words, imagery, graphics and violent warnings about the consequences of the habit will never be effective in changing a habit. In fact, it will make it more attractive to thrill seeking texters.
Driving a car is a strong habit. You can drive for miles without remembering how.
But apparently you still need your hands to drive. You cannot text and drive. And don't. The best advice is turn off your phone. Change your environment to change your habit.

The power of the environment 2

A true story, My mother who is 93 now, was in trouble, she was living alone 5 years ago and could not pay bills, clean her house and could not remember her children's names.
I moved her into my house and later to an assisted living facility. Where she become more involved with the other people her age.
She now remembers her children's names and is taking care of her own bills and looking and feeling better about herself.
The doctors were amazed at her improvement.
I took her off all drugs and used the ole remedies she used to use on us when we were small.
The last check up she had with a doctor was excellent. He stated " I wish I had your secret, you do not need any medication just calcium tablets.
so I agree with the article that staying young is proper diet, interaction, and using your brain, it worked for my mother.

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