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Dear Friends and Clients,

While not yet five months old, our yellow Labrador puppy, Daisy, weighs about 40 pounds. Although amazingly cute, she’s already powerful and strong-willed. So we are determined that she will be better trained than our two older dogs.

We are training Daisy according to the Volhard method, which relies on behavior modification through frequent positive reinforcement. We’re starting by selecting a few basic commands, like “sit,” and “come,” and drilling Daisy time and again throughout the day. Each time she performs well, we reward her with praise or a tiny treat.

Because of Daisy, the power of positive reinforcement was already on my mind as I began reading, “The Beck Diet Solution,” which applies principles of “Cognitive Therapy” to weight management.

Author Judith Beck says that if you are dieting, you should frequently give yourself “credit” to reinforce your positive eating behavior. She says it is essential that you acknowledge your small achievements, such as by telling yourself “good job” whenever you stick to your food plan.

I had an “aha” moment, when I realized that, while I often incorporate cognitive restructuring principles into my coaching, in my own life I’m not always so positive. I’m working hard to keep my New Year’s Resolutions, yet I tend to focus more on my little failures than on the baby steps I take toward keeping my diet and other commitments.

I liked Beck’s book because it illustrates how easy it can be for each of us to apply Cognitive Therapy techniques to our lifestyle or work habit changes. And the same reinforcement and other practices that can help us to lose weight also can assist us to become more effective in our careers. And that is what I’ll discuss in this issue.

Warm wishes,
Bev

Think Your Way To
Substantial Change!

January 15th, 2008 * Number 74

Psychologist Judith Beck is a leading practitioner of Cognitive Therapy, a treatment developed by her father, Dr. Aaron Beck, for addressing depression and other psychiatric disorders. The approach focuses on changing patients’ behavior by helping them to modify their self-defeating thought patterns and beliefs.

The concept underlying Cognitive Therapy is that the way people think affects how they feel and what they do. For example, if you have a recurring thought that you will fail at a project, you will start to act is if you are failing and your prophecy of failure may become self-fulfilling. how to change their negative thinking. And some executive coaches believe that the same techniques can help healthy people to become happier and more productive.

In “The Beck Diet Solution,” Judith Beck explains how people who are trying to lose weight can modify their own attitudes and behaviors by using cognitive restructuring techniques. Although the book focuses on weight loss, it is not so much a diet guide as a discussion about how to change the way you think about your behavior.

Beck offers suggestions about how to think differently in order to change your eating patterns and lose weight permanently. The same approaches could help you to modify your work habits or maintain your 2008 New Year’s Resolutions. Among her tips:

Write about the benefits of change. To get started, write down all the reasons that you want to lose weight. Once you have identified the major benefits of weight loss, make a short list and review it regularly.
Create “response cards.” Use index or other cards as constant, portable reminders of why you want to make a change. On one card, list your key reasons to lose weight. On others, anticipate responses to potential temptations. For example, if you tend to sabotage your diet resolutions with the thought “just once won’t hurt,” create a card that says, “every meal counts.” Review the cards at least a couple of times a day.
Give yourself credit. Positively reinforce your good behavior by congratulating yourself when you do something right. “Credit” can take the form of a brief phrase – like “you did it!” – that you silently repeat every time you stick to your resolutions. You deserve credit when you stick to your diet and every time you refrain from engaging in unhelpful behavior.
Build your resistance. Imagine that you have a muscle that enables you to resist temptation. As with bodybuilding, practice can help you to build your resistance muscle. Every time you resist eating something you strengthen your “muscle” and increase your ability to resist in the future.
Make plans and keep track. You’ll be more likely to stick to your diet if you plan out each day’s eating in advance. And one of the most important ways to support your effort is to write down every bite you eat. A helpful approach for keeping records is to prepare a daily food plan and then mark up the plan as the day goes on. At the end of the day give yourself credit for all the times you stuck to the plan.
Find a coach. Recruit a friend or relative, launch your new eating program in partnership with a diet buddy, or hire a professional to serve as your diet coach. One way or another, line up another person who will be available to:

Keep you motivated by helping you remember why your efforts are worthwhile and what you want to achieve.
Build your confidence by regularly giving you credit and reminding you of your achievements.
Help solve problems including the logistics of exercising or sticking to your food plan.
Keep you accountable by reviewing your progress reports.

Want to Learn More About Managing Your Energy or Productivity?
For reviews of other helpful books and an extensive archive of Bev’s newsletters go to Bev’s Website. In addition to providing executive coaching, Bev is available to speak to your group about a broad range of issues related to your work life. Visit her website at www.ClearWaysConsulting.com or email to Bev directly. Bev is associated with Executive Coaching & Consulting Associates.

Bev’s Tips for a Better Work Life is published on the first and third Tuesday of each month by Beverly E. Jones of ClearWays Consulting, LLC. Bev is a lawyer and former executive who now coaches accomplished executives and other professionals to bring new direction, energy and enjoyment to their work lives.

All rights in all media reserved. However, the content of Bev’s Tips for a Better Work Life may be forwarded in full without special permission on the condition that (1) it is for non-profit use and (2) full attribution and copyright notice are given. For other uses please contact Bev Jones.

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