Entropy

I just read a manifesto talking about Cherry Bombs -- the idea that is so startling it changes the way you think about something because it changes the questions you ask about the situation.

Mindful Eating can be a Cherry Bomb -- you don't have to stop eating the things you love -- you don't have to start eating the things you don't like. You don't have to exercise more to lose weight. How many of you thought those were the pillars holding up the whole diet universe???

The title of the post come from the idea on page 7.

"Entropy: The inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society. Entropy explains why hot water cools to room temperature, or why a teenager's room inevitably gets messy. Attitudes are the same way. When life doesn't present the desired result, it takes far more energy to stay true to your goals. Pessimism is attitudinal entropy."

Attitudinal entropy...how cool of a description is that??? It takes work to keep a system going. Continual heat on hot water to keep it hot -- continual harping on a teenager to keep his room picked up. Constant work put into the system.

But what about your weight loss?

If the weight isn't coming off fast enough, what happens to your attitude? If you are depriving yourself of your fav foods, what happens to your attitude? Frustration, pessimism, negativity???

And why should you put the working into fighting the attitudinal entropy?

Because optimism fuels hope -- hope fuels action. You can't get to where you're going without action -- so you need optimism.

According to the author:

"Optimism, while requiring more effort, gives you power. It allows you to stand for something bigger than the existing state of affairs. Sustaining any sort of vision -- from raising venture capital to raising children -- requires almost irrational mounts of optimism.

That's why optimism is so annoying. It asks you to take responsibility for you attitude and your actions, rather than throwing up your hands and blaming circumstance."

Wow! Cherry Bomb!