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[Jason Echols]

In the blog this morning, I wrote about laying out a strategy for personal change.

What has been successful for you in the past, in terms of eliminating bad habits and establishing new, more effective ones?

[Brad Blackman]

I honestly can't say. I actually haven't been all that successful in eliminating bad habits and replacing them with new, better ones. (Points at flab on stomach.) The only habit I replaced was that of working out each morning, which got replaced with morning pages. I kept up the morning pages for about 2 years. (Then I changed jobs, which started earlier, so I had to drop that habit to maintain my sleep quotient AND get to work on time.) This is a really good question; I'd love to see what others have to say.

[Patrick Rhone]

I am currently reading Twyla Tharp's "The Creative Habit". The very first chapter is all about the creative importance  of establishing a ritual. Basically, it is her idea that such rituals turn on a switch in or heads that gets us into a particular state of mind. The ritual could be anything from a morning workout routine to a writer sitting down to write at a particular time and place ever day.

It really is a fantastic book so far. Highly recommended.

[Brad Blackman]

Patrick, that book is incredible. I almost finished it, but had to return it to the library. I want to buy my own copy so I can write all in the margins and stuff, the way she talks about. It's similar to The War of Art, but with so much more passion. You get the sense that she's really really driven, but a genuinely nice person who just cares a WHOLE lot about what she does.