Do you have will power?

[Stefany93]

No I don't have - need to get to 1p but I can't

[RazorBrain]

I've been reading a couple of books that talk about this very thing. They both claim that willpower is not enough for difficult change. Both authors suggest that the logical part of the brain gets overwhelmed easily and then gives way to the emotional part of the brain which then leads us down the path of least resistance. It is fascinating to read about as it affects a lot of what we do, including go. After reading these books, I think that there is a logical part (exercise is healthy for me) and an emotional part (I like exercising because I get to go with my friends) that leads to real success.

So, for go, we know studying tsumego is good for our game, but unless we find a way to bring some positive emotional aspect to it we are likely to do it much less than we should.

In case anyone is interested, the books are "The Happiness Hypothesis" by Jonathan Haidt and "Switch" by Dan and Chip Heath.

[palapiku]

So, for go, we know studying tsumego is good for our game, but unless we find a way to bring some positive emotional aspect to it we are likely to do it much less than we should.

GoChild does this with happy kids' voices saying "Hen Hao!" when you get a problem right

[Kirby]

....
So, for go, we know studying tsumego is good for our game, but unless we find a way to bring some positive emotional aspect to it we are likely to do it much less than we should.

...

This is kind of interesting to me. Have you found a positive emotional aspect for studying tsumego? If so, what is it - or what brought it about?

[Kirby]

I've been reading a couple of books that talk about this very thing. They both claim that willpower is not enough for difficult change. Both authors suggest that the logical part of the brain gets overwhelmed easily and then gives way to the emotional part of the brain which then leads us down the path of least resistance. ...

I've been thinking about this aspect of learning that you've brought up a little bit, and I've been trying to relate it to my own experience.

It seems to me that, in my experience, actions that are based on emotion give me immediate satisfaction - satisfaction in the present.

But actions that are methodical and determined by logic sometimes do not give me immediate satisfaction, but give me satisfaction when I look back on them later.

For example, if I hate exercise, but I force myself to do it because of a logical idea that's telling me that it's good to do, the next day - or even right after I'm done exercising, I think to myself, "Wow. I did a lot of exercise. I feel good about myself, now!". Or, if I don't do the "logical" thing to do, eg. I don't exercise when I think I should, I later feel, "Wow. I did not have much self-control there."...

Typically if I find something emotionally gratifying in the present - about something I'm doing in the present - it's because I'm not doing what I am "supposed to be doing" from a "logical" perspective... Does this sound consistent with how other people feel?

[RazorBrain]

....
So, for go, we know studying tsumego is good for our game, but unless we find a way to bring some positive emotional aspect to it we are likely to do it much less than we should.

...

This is kind of interesting to me. Have you found a positive emotional aspect for studying tsumego? If so, what is it - or what brought it about?

I haven't found a bulletproof one that's for sure. But my old method went something like: 1) I know logically and intellectually that tsumego helps me get stronger, so I know I need to do it 2) But when I practice I get a lot of problems wrong which is an emotional downer (the same could be said about losing games) 3) So, I stop doing tsumego as much as I should because I don't get as much feel-good candy.

The problem is skipping tsumego does not lead to the long term enjoyment of becoming stronger at go and therefore being able to enjoy new levels of awareness when playing. We often get to feeling stagnate and thus our love of the game can actually diminish.

So, to give the emotional side the due, I focus on what it means to study go. 1) I remind myself that a serious student of go wants to improve. And I want to be a serious student even though my time is limited. 2) I focus on the reward of feeling like a serious student if I study regularly, no matter the percentage of problems worked correctly. 3) In fact, I focus on the thought that doing hard things, including mastering the finer parts of this worthy game, is hard. I can have a sense of hard work and pride in simply studying. (I find this works for exercise too. I now let myself feel good about just being at the gym not by how many pound s I lift or reps I do or miles I jog.) 4) My emotional candy has become more subtle. I focus on building the identity of who I want to be as a go player (not a pro in may case LOL but rather someone who has found a discipline worth investing time in and that is also very enjoyable.

By devoting myself to it and making progress, I feel good about my efforts. In short, I've made progress by relaxing and not taking myself as seriously hehehehehe. That is a long standing problem with me . . . too serious.

[RazorBrain]

I've been reading a couple of books that talk about this very thing. They both claim that willpower is not enough for difficult change. Both authors suggest that the logical part of the brain gets overwhelmed easily and then gives way to the emotional part of the brain which then leads us down the path of least resistance. ...

I've been thinking about this aspect of learning that you've brought up a little bit, and I've been trying to relate it to my own experience.

It seems to me that, in my experience, actions that are based on emotion give me immediate satisfaction - satisfaction in the present.

But actions that are methodical and determined by logic sometimes do not give me immediate satisfaction, but give me satisfaction when I look back on them later.

For example, if I hate exercise, but I force myself to do it because of a logical idea that's telling me that it's good to do, the next day - or even right after I'm done exercising, I think to myself, "Wow. I did a lot of exercise. I feel good about myself, now!". Or, if I don't do the "logical" thing to do, eg. I don't exercise when I think I should, I later feel, "Wow. I did not have much self-control there."...

Typically if I find something emotionally gratifying in the present - about something I'm doing in the present - it's because I'm not doing what I am "supposed to be doing" from a "logical" perspective... Does this sound consistent with how other people feel?

Your comments in red above are spot on with what the authors of the books say. Essentially, the logical, long term part is equated with a rider and the short-term, emotional part is equated with an elephant. The rider can control the elephant, sometimes. But if the elephant wants something bad enough there is nothing the rider can do but hang on.

So, rider and elephant must work together. The rider can control things, but if he tries to control too much he tires and the elephant gets away with murder. Balance seems to be the key. We must acknowledge and even feed our emotional sides while remaining in limited control for our long-term benefit.

This actually sounds like go in that we are encouraged to "play loose" when attacking. DDK's often get in trouble by constantly attacking through contact play. This could be like trying to control everything with the rider or logic. In the end that player creates too many weaknesses and his or her game crumbles. But for a player that attacks and plays contact only when necessary, a balanced partnership between rider and elephant is achieved that is much stronger.

[Kirby]

...
So, rider and elephant must work together. The rider can control things, but if he tries to control too much he tires and the elephant gets away with murder. Balance seems to be the key. We must acknowledge and even feed our emotional sides while remaining in limited control for our long-term benefit.

...

Excellent post! I particularly like the part above. I love the analogy.

[Exologist]

I tend to go with the thought that just starting something out for the day is more than half the effort. My dad always says he should go to the gym and he knows that no matter how much he doesn't want to go, he's going to be glad he went during and afterwards. So one important principle to willpower is simply telling yourself to start something and knowing consciously that it is almost always better once you get started. To avoid procrastination, you have to build the habit of that starting daily.

Of course, all the willpower in the world is meaningless if you do not have purpose to back it up.