Flamin' Hot Cheetos Powder and Thought Work

"Not today, Junior."

I was in a face-off with the Flamin' Hot Cheetos powder on my fingers. Determined, I refrained from licking 'em. Actually, I wasn't even tempted to lick 'em.

And that's the story of a very self-satisfied, grown-ass woman who gave an "Eff you" to the food industrial complex.

It's not always this easy, though, is it? Especially because so many forces conspire against us.

You know why Cheetos have all that powder? It's because your fingertips are one of the most sensitive parts of your body. When you have Cheetos powder on your fingers, you'll lick your fingers...and licking your fingers releases endorphins in your brain. Endorphins make you feel good (cue Elle Woods from Legally Blonde).
Yep--you're actually triggered to feel good by licking your grubby paws when you eat Cheetos...and then you create a neural association: your brain associates feeling good with Cheetos. "GIVE.ME.THE.CHEETOS." it says...because your brain craves salty and fatty foods. (I always say that my love language is cheese.)

If you happen to feel badly because you've habituated the behavior of eating Cheetos and licking your fingers and you say things like, "Oh my gosh, I feel so bad because I'm weak and I have no willpower and I'm lazy..." take heart, it's just your brain creating a habit to conserve energy.

You see, your brain is really good at creating habits. In fact, 95 percent of everything you do is a habit. But your habits are just habits of thought and behavior that create neural firings; they're not some sort of reflection of your value in the world. In other words: You.Are.Not.Your.Habits.

Here at the School of Midlife, we're big on helping people create new habits (and stories!) through a practice called thought work.

Remember that upcoming class about storytelling I mentioned last week? Well the class isn't just about storytelling. It's also about thought work. And let me tell ya, friends: thought work is the real deal that consistently gets the best outcomes for my clients.

More to come on thought work and this exciting course. In the meantime, to whom/what are you saying "Eff you" this week? Comment below to let me know!