Aristotle knew a thing or two about the philosophy of “fake it ‘til you make it.” In his day, though, he didn’t call it that. Instead, he explained that we become virtuous by first putting virtues into action, we become disciplined by first exercising good self-control, and we become courageous by first performing acts of [...]

In a previous post, I’ve discussed how self-control training has the power to transform your life. Building up your self-control muscle (what many people think of as “discipline” or “willpower”) can help you be a better self-observer and to pause before acting impulsively. When faced with a choice between immediate pleasure and long-term benefit, your [...]

Have you ever told yourself that you’d like to save more, spend less, invest more, or follow a budget but you just can’t seem to get motivated? Does it feel like you are waiting for this feeling called “motivation” to land on your shoulder and gently tap you with its magic wand? Have you been [...]

We know that the road to success often requires self-discipline, or choosing long-term gain over short-term pleasure: resisting a cupcake in the service of losing weight, enduring the hardship of homework in order to achieve good grades, spending hours in training in order to win an athletic championship, or passing up the unplanned purchases to [...]

On January 1, positive feelings surround the clinking of the champagne glasses and the vow to make changes in the new year. For a moment, our feelings of self-disappointment, defeat, and frustration get replaced by hope and optimism. But are we using the promise of change to fix our feelings and NOT to fix our [...]

For many, it is a time of preparation: for the holidays, for a new year, and for new steps on the journey toward financial transformation. Many people are thinking about setting money goals for 2013: saving more, spending less, or starting a new type of investment. When we do succeed at reaching a personal finance [...]

We may have the best intentions to save more money, spend less, or start a new investment strategy. We know exactly how to do it, but somehow we still feel “stuck.” Could it be a vicious negative cycle or a feedback loop that is getting in our way? Many people experience a range of emotions [...]

We know that people vary in their ability to choose successfully between conflicting desires and impulses. We also know that the road to success often requires self-discipline, or choosing long-term gain over short-term pleasure: resisting a decadent piece of cheesecake in the service of losing weight, enduring the hardship of homework in order to achieve [...]

When we’re trying to change a difficult financial behavior, the obvious question we ask ourselves is “What is getting in the way of doing the right thing?”  This helps us identify and problem-solve through barriers and obstacles. What we often forget, though, is another important question: “What is allowing the wrong behavior to continue?”  This [...]

Imagine that there is a slight twist on the old magic genie scenario, and the genie offers to answer three questions for you. Committed as you are to your financial change efforts, you decide you are going to use your questions strategically. You want the answers you receive to accelerate your progress toward your financial [...]