Sudden Insight That Facilitates Positive Change—with James Fell – EP96
Ali Fitness Podcast is brought to you by Primal.health‘s 28-Day Lifestyle Liberation program.
Are you looking to make a positive change in your life? We’ve been taught to focus on external factors in building new habits, relying on the latest diet or a traditional gym regimen to help us slowly but surely make a lasting change. But James Fell argues that shifting attention to our core identity can bring about a sudden awakening—a lightning bolt of insight that automatically changes our behavior to sync up with the new way we see ourselves.
James writes for the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, The Guardian and TIME Magazine, among many other publications. His blog, Body for Wife, boasts millions of readers, and he is the author of two popular books, The Holy Shit Moment: How Lasting Change Can Happen in an Instant and Lose it Right: A Brutally Honest 3-Stage Program to Help You Get Fit and Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind. A highly-regarded motivator for lasting change, James is on a mission to help people achieve sudden insight around what inspires them to live their best lives.
Today, James joins us to discuss his own ongoing journey to health and fitness, sharing the epiphany he had in his early 20’s and how it informed his new book, The Holy Shit Moment. He walks us through Daniel Kahneman’s two-system thinking, describing the determination that comes from pursuing goals in harmony with both systems. James also explains why so many people fail to follow their passion and instead ‘tiptoe through life.’ Listen in to understand the significance in identifying the root cause of a behavior and learn James’ unique approach to making positive change in your life!
Topics Covered
[0:43] James’ journey to health and fitness- Pretty heavy by age 25
- ‘Crawl toward enlightenment’
- Ongoing process with no end point
- Ebbs and flows based on current situation
- Creativity in being outside, distracted state
- Idea for new book came when out riding
- Flunking out, in debt and overweight
- ‘Action is the antidote to despair’
- System 1 = unconscious ideas POP into awareness
- System 2 = slow, rational thought process
- Realized could do well, make money as writer at 40
- Opportunity to work part-time and build writing career
- Goal meaningful and feasible
- Determined to find way
- Only 25% engaged, happy with work
- Yet to find passion or not ready to leap
- Focus on vanity due to societal constructs
- Exercise as punishment to endure vs. adventure to enjoy
- Analysis followed by distraction
- Get outside, allow attention to be ‘seduced’
- Explore core identity (e.g.: seek comfort from food)
- Come to terms with trauma and negative emotion
- Focus on deep emotional drivers, core identity
- Behaviors change automatically with awakening
- Todd Crandell’s 13-year dependence on alcohol, drugs
- Helps others use physical activity to battle addiction
- Belief = most important aspect
- Approach with positivity
Learn More About James Fell
Resources
The Holy Shit Moment: How Lasting Change Can Happen in an Instant by James Fell
James’ Creativity Article in the Chicago Tribune
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Ali Fitness Podcast is brought to you by Primal.health‘s 28-Day Lifestyle Liberation program.
