Strengthening Virtue
Last updated
Last updated
What
Strengthening the Intensity and Frequency of Virtuous Habits
Benefits
Increase intensity and frequency of virtue
Ability to nurture virtue
Ability to enchant with virtue
Instructions
Notice or Activate Virtue
Enchant
Notice Benefit
Enjoy
Soften Into
Enchant
Daily Life
Notice or Activate Virtue whenever you prefer and soften enchant with it
Consider
Distinguishing between Constructive Effort & Excessive Effort
Some virtues might partially weaken as they are based on constructive effort as softening is able to release all effort - constructive & excessive.
External: Thinking about what is most beneficial to say in a conversation
Internal: Curiosity towards noticing the benefit in letting go of effort
Constructive effort is that which leads to less effort in the future and/or progress towards your values
Simmering > Impatience
You cannot force the activation or deactivation of habits
You do can create conducive conditions to increase the likelihood of activation or deactivation
Create the conducive conditions and allow it to simmer
e.g., Softening into Frustration
Notice the excessive effort underlying
Notice how uncomfortable it feels
Release the effort underlying with some softening breaths
You may or may not notice the weakening or complete deactivating of the frustration
Notice how pleasant and preferable it feels to let go of effort
Allow it to simmer
Accelerate via Enchantment & Disenchantment
Soften into i.e., releasing the excessive effort is effective in weakening any vice
Softening into a virtue is effective in strengthening it
However, creating a perception shift within your mind of understanding the benefit of virtues and the disadvantage of vice will accelerate the habit change due to 'parts of the mind' supporting it
Progress
Frequency and Intensity increases for Virtue
Ability to Strengthen Virtue
Acknowledgement
