Put a Stop to Your Old Bias, and Surround Yourself With People Who Bring You Up, Not Down
Hi Folks! Connor and Nick here from Healthy Living With Nick and Connor. Thanks again for being on our email list, it means a lot, and we are excited to share our weekly email with you. We hope you enjoy it! Here is what we hope you take away from this one:
Being open minded may unlock new ways of thinking regarding health and happiness that you may have blocked out based on incorrect information.
Start thinking about the wolf pack you surround yourself with. Are their views, goals, and habits bringing you down or up?
Start rethinking your past, present, and future to lead a more fulfilling life.
Starter Mindset Tip: Be Open Minded, What Are Your Thoughts Based On?
Desirability Bias - Our beliefs are shaped by our motivations, and are based on what we want to believe. We see what we want to see. How to fight desirability bias: When you find yourself feeling strongly about something new or something you hear, take note of your initial reaction and opinion, and then think about how the other side of the argument could be true or correct. You can apply this to all aspects of life, but let’s start small. Think about this when you hear something regarding health. We all have preset views on different aspects of health based on what has happened in our lives, and what our beliefs are. When you hear something that you immediately disagree with, ask yourself why you disagree? What are your thoughts based on? Then become open to the other side of the argument. This way of thinking may unlock new ways of being healthy and happy that you may have been blocking out for years due to your preconceived notions. Be open minded, don’t fall into the trap of forming an opinion based on your beliefs, and then never being open to hearing the other side.
Health Recipe: Is Your Wolf Pack Bringing You Down or Up?
Timing: Can take some time to think about the people in your life
Level of Difficulty: Easy to ponder, hard to make cuts if needed
Serving Size: Start thinking about your interactions when you see your friends and family
Spiciness: Mild - Spicy depending on what your thoughts bring to light
INGREDIENTS
Just yourself, your interactions with others, and some thoughts about the quality of your relationships
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Whether you like it or not, we all know that we are impacted by what others around us are doing. And if you are sitting there thinking, “hey, that’s not me, no one impacts my decisions.” Well we hate to break it to you, but even though you may believe that, we are actually hardwired to connect with other people. There are specific cells in our brains called mirror neurons whose only purpose is to log what other people around you are thinking, feeling, and doing. (McGonigal, 187) There are different degrees to how much people will impact your thoughts, but at the end of the day, we are all in the same boat, we are all impacted by the people around us. This can either be great news, or not so great news depending on who you surround yourself with. When we see the people around us in action, our brains are actually guessing at what their goals are based on those actions. These mere observations can make us want to achieve the exact same goals. It is very easy to ‘catch’ someone’s goals, their good habits, and their bad habits. (McGonigal, 190) Based on this information, surrounding yourself with people who share similar goals to you, or people who have goals that you strive to have, is in your best interest. Creating a safe space to share your interests, your goals, and your plans, will have a massive impact on whether you or not you are successful. Just think about how good it feels when you can share your wins with others. Create your tribe, surround yourself with people you trust, people you can share with, people who share your goals, and create the environment you want.
INSTRUCTIONS
Ask yourself some questions: Who is in your tribe? Who are you close with? Who do you spend most of your time with? Who are some people that you respect?
Think of some good and bad behaviours that the people in your tribe have, and ask yourself if you have caught any of those behaviours.
Now focus on the good habits and goals that some of the people in your tribe have that you strive for. Try to spend more time with these people.
Is there anyone else that you know that you don’t spend much time with, but you really highly respect and think you would like to emulate? Hang out with them more too.
PRO TIP: When everyone around you is doing something, you are much more likely to think that it is a good idea. Make sure the people around are doing the things that you want to be doing, and not instilling bad habits and behaviours into your thoughts and actions.
* Try to find a group or community that you could join that shares the behaviours that you would like to have. This will make them the new normal for you.
** Think about the people who you may follow online or in person. These people impact your actions too. Are they emulating the person that you would like to be? If no, say see you later and find some new people. Also, stop comparing yourself with others, especially online.
*** When you find a group of people with similar goals, you will be excited and proud to share your wins. When you believe other people are watching, and will be excited to hear about your wins, it will be a lot easier to make them happen. And hey, if you fail, they will be there to listen.
Dessert Quote:
“The science of satisfaction is about learning when, and how, to get a handle on the challenges we face in life. Rather than struggle against time and waste it, let’s dance with time and redeem it, because we don’t live longer when we try not to die, we live longer when we’re too busy livin. Can we live in a way where we look forward to looking back?” - Greenlights, McConaughey, 289
Now we want to hear from YOU! Please let us know what you think of today’s newsletter, and send us an example of how you applied the health recipe to your life! We would love to share how you introduced this week’s recipe into your life’s unique menu. Thanks and have a great Sunday!
Sources:
Learn about the power of your wolf pack, bias, willpower and more:
McGonigal, K. (2013). The willpower instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It. Penguin.
Learn how to live in the moment and be purposeful with your decisions:
McConaughey, M. (2020). Greenlights: Raucous stories and outlaw wisdom from the Academy Award-winning actor. Hachette UK.
