010821 — Blog — Rulerless

Making success inevitable

A friend is in quarantine for COVID-19.

Her husband tested positive, so her family has to be isolated not only from the world, but also from her husband.

The circumstances are difficult. She’s not sure how she’s going to make it to the end. But if she keeps moving through her days, hour by hour, she will eventually come out the other side.

Casey von NeumannOctober 19, 2020120220, 121420, 122820, 010821, 020121Comment

Resetting the clock

Recently, I got to hug some family members for the first time since January.

A combination of traveling and the good ol’ pandemic kept me away — at least a few hours away, and sometimes a thousand miles away. But finally, outdoors on a beautiful day, none of us having gone anywhere recently, it was time to embrace.

I had been so anxious about missing them and missing so much of their lives. Kids change so fast. Would they even remember me? But within moments it was as though no time had passed. Just like old times, except in masks.

Casey von NeumannSeptember 21, 2020111820, 010121, 010821, 031821, 060121, 071421, 111521, 060722, 012723Comment

When you break your success streak

If you have tried and failed to learn how to play the guitar, the reason is simply this: One day, you put the guitar back in its case and never took it out again.

That’s how people end up not completing the online courses they signed up for: They just stop logging in.

And the diet and exercise plan…the effort to quit smoking or drinking…the new budget that will allow us to save money for once…we abandon these initiatives when life gets in the way.

Casey von NeumannApril 13, 2020091420, 092120, 010821, 021521, 031821, 031022, 060722Comment

Improving your self-discipline

One of the most important lessons I learned from Karen Pryor’s amazing Don’t Shoot the Dog! The New Art of Teaching and Training is that operant conditioning can be humane — so humane that you can use it successfully on yourself. In doing so, you can improve your results and more reliably engage your powers of self-discipline and follow-through.

Casey von NeumannDecember 13, 2019092120, 102220, 111820, 010821, 022421Comment

Instead of working toward a goal, build a habit

Jerry Seinfeld, when asked about his method for success in comedy, shared a very simple strategy: He wrote new material every day. In order to accomplish this, he drew a big red X on his wall calendar for every day he wrote. A day without an X became unthinkable.

“Don’t break the chain!” he said. In other words, keep that streak going — do whatever it takes to earn that X.

Casey von NeumannJune 12, 2019072319, 082119, 081220, 092120, 101920, 010821, 031521, 090922Comment