Teshuvahguy wrote on 17 Feb 2023 19:37:
Shmuel wrote on 17 Feb 2023 18:55:
bradley smith wrote on 17 Feb 2023 17:37:
I just joined yesterday and I'm blown away by the level of care and concern everyone has for each other. I'm so proud to be a Jew!
Maybe some of the oilum can help me out with this question: why is there an emphasis on streaks? Is the goal to set a record? Isnt life about ups and downs constantly? What if I have a streak for a month and then fall, isnt there a huge temptation to say "hey i already fell so let me enjoy today (or the next two weeks....) until i start my next streak?
I would encourage whoever has time to listen to the attached shiur from rav daniel kalish to help understand my point
www.torahanytime.com/#/lectures?a=224206
Welcome!
You make a very good point about streaks! If
THE motivation is the streak im in trouble. However, it can be used as
A motivation. Secondly, there is data that proves that it takes aroun 90 day's for a brain to be retired and break from a habit...
I understand about the 90 days to rewire the brain and break a habit. But no one seems to have told my brain about that! I had it easy at 90 days. Now, at 120, I’m struggling like crazy. So I’m not so sold on the 90-day formula. However, seeing the days mount up in a streak helps me with tangible perspective on my progress and growth. If I can see that I used to not be able to go a week, then I went two weeks, then a month, etc., I have concrete evidence of progress which is validating and helps me stay strong. If I fall, I can get back up and remember how many successes I had instead of focusing only on the one failure.
You said it very well, Shmuel and TG! The streak is a motivational tool, but we gotta be careful not to let it all be about the streak. Because it is not all about the streak! Sometimes guys go for 150 days, and when they fall they post "it's all gone". That's plain silly. Every day you are clean is yours forever! Now, this is a life-long battle, so what's the 90 dyas? The way I see the 90 day thing is it's the mounting of offensive. It's not the end, but it puts the battle where you would like it to be. Many of us are fighting from an unhealthy place, which makes it really difficult to fight. When we go 90 days, we rewire some of our brain, now we have 'regular' nisyoinois. We may get motivation from seeing 345 days under our names, but it is not about adding another day. It is about today.