Title Pages
WHAT COULD YOU
“The Ten Minute Rule,� instructing us that if we have a craving, we should tell ourselves that we can have whatever it is we desire — in 10 minutes. Often the time delay is enough for the craving to pass and give us the strength to resist. If we spend that 10 minutes “surfing the urge� and paying attention to how the craving makes us feel instead of trying to distract ourselves, we have an even better chance of exerting willpower over our temptation. Sometimes all it takes is a reframing of how we think about things to increase our willpower. When we are doing well, we learn to think of our positive actions not as “progress,� which might make us believe we deserve a treat that will derail us, but as commitment to our goal, which reinforces our resolve. The book’s prevailing themes are that stress and fatigue deplete willpower and that by doing things like meditating, exercising and getting enough sleep we can recharge and store up our willpower reserves. We are told that even small efforts in these areas — five minutes of meditation a day or a quick walk around the block — are enough to reduce cravings and increase self-control. At times, the book, like science, offers up ideas that seem to contradict one another. For example, we are told that being tired reduces our
willpower, but, also that “the limits of self-control are just like the physical limits of the body — we often feel depleted of willpower before we actually are� and urged to push through those limits like a marathon runner. In these cases, readers must find their own balance. For a book about willpower, the tone is surprisingly compassionate. The author encourages us to let go of shame and guilt, which weaken our willpower, and to instead forgive ourselves, accept our feelings and treat ourselves with kindness. McGonigal sums up her message, “If there is a secret for greater selfcontrol, the science points to one thing: the power of paying attention. Self-awareness, self-care, and remembering what matters most are the foundation for self-control.� N Freelance writer Kathy Cordova can be emailed at khcordova@ gmail.com.
Book Talk
Books Inc., 74 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto. The contest is supported by the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, VTA, Arts Council Silicon Valley and Santa Clara County. Winning poems will be placed in VTA light rail and buses in April. N
(continued from previous page) “The Shah,� on Thursday, March 1, at 4:30 p.m. in Pigott Hall, Bldg. 260, Stanford University, with a book signing to follow. RSVP (to audrey. mcgowan@stanford.edu) is required by 5 p.m. Feb. 28 for the free talk. POETRY CONTEST ... Sally Ashton, Santa Clara County’s poet laureate, will talk about “Poetry on the Move: A Contest!� on March 7 at 7 p.m. at
DISCOVER?
MACLA presents
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Discover Silicon Valley arts and entertainment at LiveSV.com The Silicon Valley arts and entertainment scene delivers unexpected experiences as unique as our Silicon Valley lifestyles. So look around you‌what could you discover?
WATCH ONLINE
www.PaloAltoOnline.com Lisa Van Dusen speaks with author and psychologist Kelly McGonigal in a “First Person� video. McGonigal discusses her wide-ranging research and teaching in the exclusive interview. Watch the video online by going to www. paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story. php?id=23034.
DISCOVER THE UNEXPECTED.
Items for Book Talk may be sent to Associate Editor Carol Blitzer, Palo Alto Weekly, P.O Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 93202 or emailed to cblitzer@paweekly.com by the last Friday of the month.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Historic Resources Board [HRB] 8:00 A.M., Wednesday, March 7, 2012 Palo Alto Council Chambers, 1st Floor, Civic Center, 250 Hamilton Avenue. Go to the Development Center at 285 Hamilton Avenue to review filed documents; contact Diana Tamale for information regarding business hours at 650.329.2144. 1091 Emerson Street/225 Lincoln Avenue [12PLN-00039] Request by Peter Baltay on behalf of 1091 Emerson Street Partners, LLC for historic review for demolition of a Category 3 building on the Historic Inventory and historic review of a replacement single-story, single family residence. Zone District: R-1 (Single Family Residential). Steven Turner, Advance Planning Manager
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