I recently read a book called Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell www.Gladwell.com and most of Blink. I enjoyed it very much. I think I have written recently about 10,000 hours and how that helped the Beatles, Bill Gates, and others perfect their craft in a relatively short period of time. I am still looking for my 10,000. I wouldn't be surprised if I have already done them, albeit of a long period of time, starting in childhood.

There is a story of a Vietnam general (this may have been in Blink) about how he out maneuvered todays military scheming without the help of computers. One of his tactics was giving his subortinates control, since he couldn't really know what they were going through. He challenged himself to be patient and not overly micro-manage. I have a fair amount of patience but in this economy, it can't hurt to have more. I have found myself trying what he tried "just 5 minutes, just give them 5 minutes".

One of the things he did was after each day of fighting, he had his troops train. One would think it was time to end after a long battle. However, he would put them through daily exersises. It would be like a basketball team playing a game and then having a practice afterwords.

I started training to help myself get up earlier in the day. I read this technique from one time I was researching the internet about the concepts of paradox and such when it comes to the sales process. This person said people rely to much on the time they are going to bed as opposed when they are waking up. The going to bed time will take care of itself. Waking up is done in a half-conscious state so it is difficult to be disciplined. (I would say the same thing for dieting - the time to practice is not so much when one is about the chow down, haha). I am always happy to hit the snooze button when I am groggy. So, I am picking the sleepy part of the day, 3-5 pm, to practice and so far it is helping. I go through my rountine, although I haven't continued practicing getting in my pj's during my training, although I think it will help!

The other rationale I have found comes from "The Age of Paradox" by Charles Handy. He talks about the Sigmoid Curve, which is half of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmoid_function or http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen99/gen99456.htm. The curve eventually starts to fall after it's highest peak. Mr. Handy sais to deal with paradox is to get off before one reaches the low point. Thus, one can start another curve.

Mr Handy describes a scene where he is back home in Ireland talking with a local and trying to find Davy's bar. He sais it is very easy to get lost in Ireland. The old man describes how to get there, but describes it more from the end point than the beginning. One would need to know how to get there in the first place. The old man said : "That's right. Well, half a mile before you get there, turn to your right up the hill". The question is, how long will it be before I am half a mile from Davy's Bar? I guess I can keep looking for hills that I can turn right and go up.

Thus, it may be similar to the getting up in the morning. I won't really know what it is like to get up until it creaps up on me. Until it becomes habit, it is difficult to break the habit.

So, wha I am doing is developing a training regimen for myself, that includes practicing getting up. Another one is itching my face. I often itch my face even when it isn't itchy. It is a habit I have had since I was a child, partly due to stress, partly due to allergies. When it comes time to itch, it is too late to practice. Ahead of time, I can visualize the itch coming on and relaxing and doing other things to relieve the pressure in my face or other parts of my body, including tension and the compulsion to relieve the obsessive thought of "Is my face itchy?".

I would recommend to anyone trying to stop a behavior to try training "ahead" of time and on a regular basis. Also, pay attention to what is going on during the times of your action: be a student and don't be hard on yourself. It is counter-productive. As the Dalai Lama sais, there are 3 things to do to change behavior;

1. Knowledge
2. Determination
3. Action