For the faithful reader, this little note: I am taking a step back from blog writing. There are more than 400 of them now, and many are ready for a new coat—a new, updated version. It’s not because I don’t want to write anymore, but because I need to use my available time more productively. And what I am going to do with that time can also be very beneficial for you, the reader.

NeuroGym – John Assaraf

I enrolled in an online course with John Assaraf, the CEO of NeuroGym. He represents the hottest trend rolling through cyberspace here in the US. It’s a science-based, ultimate reconditioning school. By actively convincing your subconscious mind that what you decided a long time ago is no longer applicable in your current life, you considerably increase your chances of success in the future.

John is a master in explaining how the brain works. Here is how it usually goes: we have good intentions, and after failing at one, we are even more determined to follow through with the next. We become enthusiastic and begin the process. But after a few weeks (about two, usually) our motivation fades. We even punish ourselves for not living up to our expectations, but did you know that something totally different is behind the loss of motivation? And I am discovering what that is.

Here is more of what I’ve already learned from John Assaraf: often times there is an invisible enemy at work inside us, which he compares to an insidious illness. That enemy is our own expectation set-point. Based on how we usually react to issues, whether we usually resolve them or not, our neurological system creates a type of blueprint, which becomes our comfort zone.

On the road to success—back to square one all the time!

The human mechanism is very good at avoiding pain and saving energy. This is what that means: what we know is easier to achieve than what is new to us. To do something that we’ve already mastered is easier than learning something new.

That is why we have a type of error-detector in our self-system. Every time we stray too far from our comfort zone, our bodies receive instructions to redirect: back to square one! That’s why we never rise above our own deeply rooted, usually rather negative self-perception. A neurological or biological trigger is fired and boom … we are back where we started. After a while, we get so tired that we abandon our wonderfully good intention: we quit.

Healthy Sense of Self blogs

I certainly don’t want to stop the promotion of Healthy Sense of Self, but I feel I’m working against the flow, my flow. I am going to take some time to inspect my own set-point and do some Neurogym. I have to free up that time somehow, so no more blogs for a while. If you want to read more about Healthy Sense of Self, you can find past blogs archived on the website healthysenseofself.com (in English) and GezondZelf-Gevoel.nl (in Dutch).

If you feel inclined to update or add your input to one or more of the old blogs or translate them into another language, please do so. Simply send an email with your request. You will help all those people who could use a Healthy Sense of Self.