The day, any day

In a post a long time back, I explained my dad’s love of watching the world cone to life, and also for  me, the world go back sleep. 

It’s early but Stella and I are walking, the world is slowly waking up but then last night I got to watch the world fall asleep too  it’s amazing when rush hour dies down how easy driving is. 

Back to this morning, I can hear the early warm up of the dawn chorus, the crunch of me feet on the ground an aircraft breaks in,East to west so coming home I’d guess. I can’t smell much as my nose is bunged up. I see what my torch illuminates, mainly leaves that havw died off after falling from the ancient trees along with mere silhouettes of the dormant trees. 

Merely 10 minutes further on I can make out the grass from the treeline and begin to differentiate between the trees. 

I wonder why dad and I like this so much, is it an emotional connection and therefore chimp or us it something deeper making it intellect. 

The chimp

The chimp paradox teaches that you, cannot choose your chimp, however you’re always responsible for its behaviour. 

Having seen the disgusting chimp behaviour of the road rage incident in the m62 recently, I was reminded if this lesson, and for the record as a fellow light trucker I hope he is caught and serves a long long sentence. 

Clarence sleeps

It’s just occurred to me why I do my best, most relaxed and flowing posts whilst I’m walking Stella 

My inner chimp,whom I’ve called Clarence, is chilled and all but asleep but for the odd threat assessment, which is low of course I’ve no predators trying to eat me. 

I’m walking Stella now,and my mind is clear but equally focused on just knew thing, this blog, not what the day holds, what I dud yesterday or worrying about anything. 

Superstitious chimp

I read somewhere this week that if you’re visited constantly by a Robin that it’s someone trying to contact you from.  the afterlife. 

There are so many superstitions, black cats, umbrellas, ladders, lucky this lucky that. well I’m wondering where did they come from, and I’m of the opinion that they panda to your emotions, not your intellect, because you’re intellect  dismisses most things immediately.but who wouldn’t want to think that somebody was watching over them when they feel vulnerable. 

I don’t mean to belittle anything, I’m just beginning to question everything

Talking down another chimp

Someone I know is not well, and was refusing get to see a doctor. realising the chimp was getting the better I told it truths 

1. Getting to a doctor is the best chance of getting better 
2. Ignoring it, is gonna get worse. 
3. It may not work but it is better than ignoring it. 

I could go on but I’m sure you get the drift. 

I am winning at this stage. 

Upon reflection

As the week draws to a close,  I’m walking Stella and reflecting on the passed 7 days. 

It started with me listening to the chimp paradox again and subsequently making some hard decisions with some things I need to AMP relating to my daughter. 

A paradox of my own here,  as I’ve decided to be more decisive and live and fall by them. 

Work has settled down, and other aspects of my life are equally settling into place. 

Other parts of the chimp paradox begin to make more sense,  

• Not thinking about anything important in the hours between 11pm and 7am unless I’m up early for  work and then not until after my first coffee. 
• Embedding the sub routines change, pause, escape, helicopter, plan, react, smile 

being just 2 of them. 

I want to utilise as much of the model as I’m capable.  

No human around

The chimp paradox teaches you to ignore any thinking if you wake in the middle of the night, because, believe it or not, your human is asleep and your chimp is in total control,  it needs to be, to defend you. 

I find this to be so true, in my work I get up at all hours, but mainly around 5.30am and for a while I’m focusing on my troubles,  but as I get up, have my coffee and put Stella on the lead

 and walk her I begin to gain perspective,  and get Clarence in order as, I assume, my intellect wakes up and gets out of first gear and by the time I leave the house I am in fourth or fifth.  

This is one he’ll of a journey of self discovery,  you just try and stop me!!!!!!!!!!

The way of the human

The chimp paradox teaches the difference between the chimp (emotional self) and human (the intellect) and one of its more important lessons the chimp forms opinions by going with what it’s got, and jumping to conclusions. where as the human gathers as much evidence as possible before drawing any conclusion. 

Points of view are a big part of the above but (correct me if I have this wrong psychologists) your chimp will not let you give up things that weaken your position. 

Drawing conclusions from this, I must learn to talk, to listen and be analytical. 

My journey is picking up pace so you just try and stop me now!!!!!!!!!

The chimps journey

I’d liken my journey thru the chimps universe to that of Anakin Skywalker in the star wars prequels. 

In that I’ve learned the difference between my chimp and my intellects thinking: 

• Chimps think emotionally much as the sith, with feelings and jump to sometimes catastrophic conclusion 
• Human think much like the jedi, avoiding temptation to rush in, gathering get as much evidence as possible before making a decision 
• Remorse is a powerful chimp emotion but by that time it’s too late. 

I could go on drawing comparisons,  but the chimp paradox has taught me some amazing control methods especially when the chimp in me has feelings of growing anger. the biggest being 

1. Change 
2. Pause 
3. Escape 
4. Helicopter 
5. Plan 
6. React 
7. Smile 

It sounds so simple, but when I feel that anger coming on,  I think change allowing my computer to press the pause button, allowing me to escape normally with the dog,  allowing me to proverbially jump in my helicopter to see things from a perspective of how I can choose to act. I choose my plan and react accordingly finishing with a smile because I’ve done it.

There are many aspects of the model I’m still learning 

• I recognise when Clarence is hijacking me but I think I need to learn more,  as I struggle to actually impenetrable things especially where food is concerned. Ie do I really want to open my sandwich box, no but Clarence gets his  way. probably because I’m trying to arm wrestle him.

But then another aspect I am embedding is probably as result of the above procedure I’m much less likely to give in to my feelings when road rage wants to kick off. 

To anyone reading this who is lucky enough to have the 2 guides I have, or recognise they’re heading for depression in cannot recommend highly enough the chimp paradox by Dr Stephen Peters or the equally talented genius Emma Tripplet @Oldtownhypnotherapy who has helped me implement many parts of the chimp model. .

Upping the burn

My weight loss has slowed, so im upping my activity. Im gonna run on day 1, which will be my best possible effort, then again on day 2, as much as i can, and rest on day 3, and then same run on days4 and 5, rest day 6, run day 7, and day 1 rest day 2 etc.

I ran hard 2.5 miles, yesterday, and 3.1 miles this morning, but that was more of a run as far as i could, then walk, and repeat.
I weighed myself yesterday, came in bang on 15st,  so im heading in the right ditection, but if im gonna achieve my targets,  i need to  get burning the fat.

Its not that i consider overweight,even though some calculations say i am, but those same calculations say, Rugby and American football stars are obese, which is insane.

I guess, as long as im happy with the way i feel, (an emotional response i know) then i will be happy. I no longer look to the achievements as success, but to the doing. It is better to get out jin the fresh air, and get the heart pumping, than to sit at home aatching TV  because I CAN I CAN I CAN you just watch me!!!!!!!!!!!!