3160: The Protection Principle: A Motivation Technique That (Always) Works by Stephen Guise of Mini Habits

[00:00:00] This episode is brought to you by Saks.com.

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[00:00:29] How do you feel great on vacation?

[00:00:31] Like really good?

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[00:00:35] You'll spend your time relaxing on cool white sand beaches and floating in healing blue

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[00:00:58] This is Optimal Living Daily episode 3160.

[00:01:02] The Protection Principle, a motivation technique that always works by Stephen Guise of MiniHabits.com

[00:01:09] and I'm Justin Molyk your very own personal narrator.

[00:01:12] I'm going to keep on narrating as we optimize your life.

[00:01:21] The Protection Principle, a motivation technique that always works by Stephen Guise of MiniHabits.com.

[00:01:29] In many ways, motivation is the holy grail.

[00:01:33] If we always wanted to do the right things, life would be easier, simpler and more productive.

[00:01:39] But most motivation techniques fail spectacularly over time.

[00:01:44] They may work once or even a few times but tend to run out of steam.

[00:01:49] There is one motivation technique that works better than any other and it can last a

[00:01:54] very long time.

[00:01:56] To be clear, this technique even works without willpower and without the power of habit.

[00:02:01] It works because of how it aligns with both types of motivation.

[00:02:06] The challenge with motivation.

[00:02:09] Motivation is tricky in part because it has two meanings.

[00:02:13] You have the reason to do something and the desire to do something.

[00:02:17] Both are motivation and they often align but not always.

[00:02:21] For example, when you have a good reason not to eat a hamburger, your health, you

[00:02:26] may still desire one.

[00:02:28] It's delicious.

[00:02:30] People try to leverage their reason to do things into desire but it's not always

[00:02:34] strong enough.

[00:02:36] Desire is deeply habitual, circumstantial and subconscious.

[00:02:41] Our values produce conscious desires but they aren't as strong as emotional desires.

[00:02:47] This is why when someone loses the room, it's over.

[00:02:51] At that point, it doesn't matter much how reasoned they are if debating or funny they

[00:02:56] are if doing stand-up comedy.

[00:02:59] You lose the emotional trust of the audience and you might as well go home and try another

[00:03:04] day.

[00:03:06] What is the protection principle?

[00:03:09] The protection principle takes effect when you have something to protect.

[00:03:13] This motivation technique works because it gives you a reason and a desire to do something.

[00:03:19] When we think of protection, most people think of parents.

[00:03:23] Not just human parents.

[00:03:24] Think of the mama bear and what happens when you get near her cubs.

[00:03:29] Parents of all species have a good reason to protect their young, ensuring their

[00:03:33] bloodline.

[00:03:34] But importantly, parents also have a deep emotional and biological desire to protect

[00:03:40] them.

[00:03:41] It isn't just a business transaction.

[00:03:43] It's I will risk my life for you levels of emotion.

[00:03:47] This is especially interesting when you think about using the protection principle as a

[00:03:51] motivational technique for other behaviors.

[00:03:55] For example, what if you are able to use this principle for your health?

[00:04:00] I did that recently and it prompted this article.

[00:04:04] My improbable flossing success story.

[00:04:08] I was always the person who got annoyed when the dentist told me to floss.

[00:04:13] I didn't want to floss and never did.

[00:04:16] Between dental cleanings, my gums would gradually get more inflamed and develop pockets of bacteria

[00:04:22] instead of being tight and healthy.

[00:04:25] They would also bleed during cleaning.

[00:04:27] Good times.

[00:04:29] After cleaning, my gums would heal and feel great at first, gradually getting worse

[00:04:34] until the next cleaning.

[00:04:36] After one cleaning, however, I got curious.

[00:04:40] What would happen if I started flossing that same night?

[00:04:44] Flossing day 1.

[00:04:46] After flossing the first day, something clicked.

[00:04:49] I saw the bits of food that I dislodged from my gums come out.

[00:04:54] Then I thought about those same bits of food rotting for days, weeks and months

[00:04:59] because I refused to remove them.

[00:05:01] I went to sleep with flossed teeth.

[00:05:04] The next day, my gums felt amazing.

[00:05:07] I hadn't experienced the typical dental degradation after a cleaning.

[00:05:12] That night, I flossed again.

[00:05:14] I found the process of flossing incredibly annoying, but it didn't matter.

[00:05:19] I wanted to protect my gums.

[00:05:22] Here I am several months later still flossing every day.

[00:05:26] I can't wait for my next cleaning.

[00:05:28] My dentist will likely hand me a trophy.

[00:05:30] It'll be the first time in my life that I'll get a good job flossing from the dentist

[00:05:35] at 36 years old.

[00:05:37] How to use the protection principle.

[00:05:41] Cleaning my teeth cleaned was a necessary first step for flossing.

[00:05:45] Why?

[00:05:46] It gave me something to protect.

[00:05:48] This is so important.

[00:05:50] This may sound strange, but why would I floss when my gum health is already deteriorated?

[00:05:55] I understand the logical flaw there, but logic aside, we will always be more motivated

[00:06:00] to protect something we deem worth protecting.

[00:06:04] Step 1.

[00:06:06] Create something worth protecting.

[00:06:09] Cleaning and healthy gums after a teeth cleaning.

[00:06:11] A business.

[00:06:12] A child.

[00:06:13] A home.

[00:06:14] A community.

[00:06:15] A lifestyle motivates financial protection.

[00:06:20] Any habit or valuable behavior.

[00:06:23] You don't see people hand washing old clunkers.

[00:06:25] It's the new shiny cars that practically demand car washes from their owners to

[00:06:30] maintain their perfect sheen.

[00:06:32] It's easier and more satisfying to maintain things than to fix them after they break.

[00:06:38] Note, this motivational technique should not be used as an excuse to kickstart your weight

[00:06:43] loss with extreme dieting.

[00:06:45] It'd be fine except that dieting damages your metabolism so whatever motivation you

[00:06:51] may gain from needing to protect your new physique will be outmuscled by your

[00:06:56] increased food efficiency and lowered metabolism.

[00:06:59] Instead, think in terms of behaviors to protect.

[00:07:04] The protection principle has layers.

[00:07:07] I've been coming to a coffee shop that serves healthy food.

[00:07:10] I'll order a breakfast bowl of eggs, kale, onions, kidney beans, and quinoa.

[00:07:17] It's healthy and delicious.

[00:07:19] Then I'll work through to lunchtime and order a salad.

[00:07:23] Because of this, I've now dropped all of my pandemic weight gain without trying.

[00:07:29] This routine has improved my health and productivity and I really enjoy it.

[00:07:35] But it's expensive, so I'm motivated to be productive and earn enough to be able

[00:07:39] to keep doing it.

[00:07:41] And I'm protecting a new early morning sleep schedule.

[00:07:44] I'm usually a night owl.

[00:07:46] There are several things I am naturally motivated to protect now.

[00:07:49] No need to watch an inspirational video.

[00:07:52] No need to remind myself of my values.

[00:07:55] The protection principle is a motivation technique that powers itself.

[00:08:00] You just have to set up something worth protecting.

[00:08:03] As an example of what this has produced, I've gone through all 450 plus of my blog

[00:08:09] articles and one by one updated their SEO.

[00:08:13] That took weeks, but it should pay off in a few months with more traffic.

[00:08:19] Your turn.

[00:08:20] Create something worth protecting.

[00:08:23] I understand the challenge of suddenly creating something worth protecting.

[00:08:27] But for any area that can't be refreshed quickly, you can focus on setting up the

[00:08:31] behaviors that will take you there.

[00:08:33] There are a lot of creative ways to leverage this motivation technique.

[00:08:38] Here's another example.

[00:08:40] MiniHabits.com is my one and only website now.

[00:08:44] Just a couple months ago I had StephenGuys.com and MiniHabits.com.

[00:08:49] After merging these two sites into one, I created one website to invest in and protect.

[00:08:56] That focal clarity helped me elevate the design and back end to levels that exceeded

[00:09:01] either site before.

[00:09:03] If you're struggling in an area, the problem could be that you don't yet have anything

[00:09:08] that activates the protection principle.

[00:09:11] Do your best to create that situation and you'll find your motivation to protect

[00:09:15] and improve it surge without any extra effort on your part.

[00:09:25] You just listened to the post titled

[00:09:26] The Protection Principle, a motivation technique that always works

[00:09:31] by StephenGuys of MiniHabits.com

[00:09:34] And I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:10:37] These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

[00:10:40] This product is not limited to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

[00:10:45] This episode is brought to you by Saks.com.

[00:10:49] At Saks.com, it's easy to find your new vibe.

[00:10:53] Dive into the Western trend with gold cowboy boots from Stott or go full 90s throwback

[00:10:57] with platforms from Prada.

[00:10:59] You can shop for everything on your agenda.

[00:11:02] Whether it's a breezy Zimmerman dress for garden party or a bright Chloe blazer for brunch,

[00:11:07] find inspiration for your new vibe every day at Saks.com.

[00:11:13] Thank you to Stephen.

[00:11:15] I'm not usually a big fan of motivation tricks per se, but I don't remember hearing this

[00:11:21] tip before.

[00:11:22] It sounds like a good one to me.

[00:11:24] It's probably worth trying.

[00:11:26] Seeking out the latest life hack to get motivation for the day can be exhausting

[00:11:32] and seems to burn out really quickly.

[00:11:35] So that's why I've always focused on baby steps.

[00:11:38] Just seems to work the best.

[00:11:40] But I think this trick, if you want to call it that, makes sense because it's about getting

[00:11:45] down to your why, which is something that comes up pretty frequently here.

[00:11:50] It's about our deepest values and desires.

[00:11:54] If we can tap into that, then motivation becomes less of an issue, I think.

[00:11:59] And another article that I thought did a good job talking about motivation was

[00:12:04] Motivation What It Is, How It Works, and Where To Find It by Mark Manson.

[00:12:09] I narrated that one back in episode 3112, if you want to go deeper down the rabbit hole

[00:12:14] of motivation.

[00:12:16] But I'll leave it there for now.

[00:12:18] Thank you for listening every day.

[00:12:20] Have a great weekend if you're listening in real time, and I'll see you tomorrow

[00:12:24] as usual.

[00:12:25] Wear your optimal life, outweights.