Bad Habits and the Power of One
October 29, 2007

BK told me that he has stopped drinking booze. He limits his alcohol to a glass of wine or beer with his meals. He says he's noticed a big difference: he is more productive after dinner, gets to bed earlier, sleeps longer and wakes up earlier. His mood has also improved, he says. He is not suffering the bouts of depression he was prone to before.

I like an evening cocktail too. I come from a family of people who drink at night. But like BK, I've found that anything other than a glass of wine at dinner tends to put me in an unproductive mood - the kind of mood that needs sedation, such as watching television. I won't give up drinking or smoking cigars entirely but I do have to reduce my intake.

I've been writing about "the power of one" a good deal lately. How, for example, every business needs one superstar marketer, one superstar idea leader, one superstar business manager, etc. In writing "the power of one" is important too. Great essays should have one main idea, one primary emotion and one purpose.

The power of one may be applicable to bad habits as well. Take drinking, for example. It's a well known fact that a single glass of red wine once a day is good for the health. Maybe the same thing is true of cigar smoking. There have been no definitive studies on this, but I'm willing to believe (okay - eager to believe) that smoking a Robusta a day would be good too.

How far could we take this?

Chocolate, in limited quantities, is good for you. Everything in moderation, the Greeks said. A single serving is certainly moderate. Hmm. Something to think about.

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posted by M. Masterson @ 3:28 PM, ,