Trialing the MotivAider

Some time ago I was asked by Steve Lorinson to test out his product the MotivAider.

 

Actually what happened is Steve posted a comment on my blog name-dropping his device as a brilliant motivational aid. I challenged him to come up with the goods and I’d review it objectionably – and to his credit he came back to me almost instantly and sent me a sample device.

 

Over a month later and it’s still sitting on my shelf screaming “use me”. Preparing for the move to Spain is taking a vast amount of my time, hence I haven't had the opportunity.

 

The basic functionality of the device is to vibrate at set intervals – intended purely as a reminder for you about a commitment you’ve made to yourself. So for example if you decided to improve your posture you would write down a statement, something like “smart successful go-getters like me keep a good posture.”

 

Every time the device vibrates, at the set interval you have decided, you think of your personal statement, correct your posture, and soon enough a new habit is formed. 

 

Now obviously this all sounds way too simple to true. I mean… isn’t this just the plus version of tying a piece of string around your finger? 

 

Not according to Steve; and he’s confident enough to challenge me to review his device knowing that I’m extremely experienced in habitual change and I’m going to be completely objective.

 

 

Since I have few problems with habits like “correcting posture”, I’m going to go for something a little more challenging. I’m going to see if I can improve my general positivity. 

 

I’m a pretty positive person anyway these days, but I’m not quite where I’d like to be with it and that next jump has eluded me somewhat in the past.

 

 

I’m going to set myself a little exercise to run through every time the device goes off. The exercise will be to think of up to three of the most positive things about the current moment and up to three of the most positive things which could result from whatever I’m currently doing. I’m going to keep this trial going for at least a month, but probably several months, and I’ll report back on it at certain intervals. 

 

 

The statement I’m going to use is a quote from the colourful French artist Henri Matisse – “there are always flowers for those who want to see them.”

 

I appreciate that this kind of fundamental personal change is at the more advanced spectrum of the kind of behaviour which the MotivAider is claimed to be able to assist with, but isn’t this exactly the kinds of thing which we really need help changing?

 

The operating manual for the device states – 

 

 

That would be my personal positivity; in terms of both positive perception and positive outlook. I’d extent it to positive reflection too, but let’s not get too complicated just yet. 

 

 

My goal is to become significantly more positive. Not just externally in terms of what I express, but crucially I want to become more positive on the inside. I think I’m pretty good at the positivity I express – regardless of my own thoughts. But what I’m looking to create is a naturally brighter inside.

 

That’s a difficult thing to measure and I’ve said before that it’s preferable when possible to write goals in the form of definite measurable statements. As in – my goal is to be able to do 50 push-ups in two minutes. That’s a definite goal which at any point you can accurately measure if it’s achieved or not.

 

Unfortunately in this situation we don’t have that liberty. That’s ok… without wanting to blow my own horn too much – over the years of meditating and self-improvement I’ve honed a pretty good awareness of my own emotional and internal state and I think I will quite accurately be able to determine if any significant habitual change takes place from this project.

 

 

That would be my above exercise.

 

Alrighty! So the trial begins tomorrow.

 

I’m excited.

 

You can read more about this device here.