[Perna]

It takes roughly 21 days to create or break a habit (helped if you put something new/positive in its place); do you find how "hard" you work on something during that 21 days matters, how you feel about it?

I always try to maintain interest/enthusiasm for projects and when it dies, I often give up. But now, with "new" habits I've created over the last 15 years (mostly my school work) I find that even when I'm not interested I still slave away at it, almost expecting the "spark" to come back.

How do you keep from losing focus on what you're trying to change? I have things I "want" to do but I don't start them or I work on other things I want to do but they make a mess of some other area, aren't contained very well. LOL, guess I have to make a habit of "containing" my other habits better.

[Wants2Fly]

Hi Perna -- I'm not sure what you mean. Since being diagnosed with a chronic illness that slows me down, I find it very hard to be self-disciplined. I used to consider myself a very disciplined person, who finished what she started and had life "under control" whatever the heck that means.

It definitely affects my self-esteem. I can know that I have an illness -- be it physiological or a mental health depression sapping my strength -- but emotionally, it often feels like weakness, failure, not being good enough.

[SeptemberMorn]

Six words for you, ladies. I know because I'm dealing with the same things.

Self-sabotage and lack of self-esteem.

Maybe if we could get a handle on why we self-sabotage, we'd get some of our self-esteem back.

Wish I had an answer.

[Perna]

I was just wondering if anyone saw any length of time versus how often/how hard one worked on something correlations. Does it matter if you do something 1 time a day for a month or 3 times a day for a month? Is how hard you work at something part of how well you'll do with it?

[SeptemberMorn]

It would depend on what you're doing whether it's fast enough or not. At my age, if I do one thing, even if it takes me all day, I'm happy because I can say, "Hey! I got it done! "

At my age! Listen to me! It's not really my age, it's my physical condition! I may have just busted myself on some negative self-talk. I'm not THAT old... I just feel like it, sometimes.

How's your self-talk, Perna? Are you "should-ing" yourself too much? Maybe? Check yourself out for negative self-talk.

[Perna]

I'm working on a little project before I see the doctor again to see what's what and if I should give myself more time. I'm working on eating right, exercising, getting plenty of sleep, etc. for two weeks only, just to see if I can make a dent if I try my "hardest" or if it looks like my chronic problems need more help, specifically medical help. But the 2-week trial (so I am less likely to get discouraged since it's "only" for 2 weeks) will tell me a lot I think but I have a list of dos/don'ts and schedule, etc. and I was just wondering if I do some things and not others and how "hard" I'm actually working, whether deadlines matter and the intensity of things, etc. I was curious about how other people do things.