100 Hour Experiment

[Erudite]

This could easily go on the LDS board, since the source is LDS, but I think it is such a truth that it would apply anyone and everyone. So here's the story. For years, my sister was the American Heritage coordinator at BYU. Thus she worked with professors who had regular contact with LDS apostles. One professor told her that Elder Eyring had said (paraphrased): The inspiration you receive after 100 hours of working on something is vastly different than the inspiration you might receive after just one hour. (I looked for an official source and couldn't find one, so this could easily be a passing comment.)

She is not sure of the context, but the thought rings true no matter the context. We all know that our ability in a subject that we have spent an entire semester on is vastly different at the end of the semester compared to the beginning. Putting in the effort on something will change our thinking and ability in that thing.

My sister told me this to help me to realize that I wasn't putting enough effort on something to know if I actually do the something well or not. She's right. I haven't put in the effort yet to do it well. As I thought about it, I can see MANY things in my life that I'd like to do better in AND receive inspiration for, that I simply haven't given the effort to.

So I'm going to. I've chosen two things to spend consciously spend 100 hours on. I haven't given myself a deadline, because an hour a day for 100 days isn't really going to be possible, so I don't know what a reasonable deadline would be. Maybe the end of the year? Yes...that's a good thought. My niece created a chart with 100 circles to color in for each hour spent. I've attached that for anyone else who is interested in this experiment.

I guess I share this because it is something that really made me think. The two things I've chosen are not on my daily "to do" list; they are "art" and "nutrition". I'm going to spend time researching, learning, and doing both. I'm hoping for ability in art and inspiration in nutrition, but I'd think after 100 hours, I'd have some of both in both topics.

I just see the world as so incredibly filled with stuff I don't know about and can't do, but that is only true because I haven't learned and haven't tried.

How about you? Would you like to try a 100 hour experiment?

[5ft Diva]

Sounds interesting. I'd say I'm already doing this. I'm working on writing my personal mission statement. I'd say I'm easily 40 hours into it already. It's definitely been a self discovery process. I'll have to think of something else to study. Several things immediately come to mind - I just need to prioritize them and pick one to work on.

[Meticulous madness]

What a cool idea. I think it's wonderful how (and why) you've given it a lot of thought and put it out there for us to do the same.

I think I'm doing it a little bit already, too! But, I like the idea of being a little more structured with the goal - as far as timing, and marking it off. I can think of quite a few things that I could really learn and immerse myself in for 100 hours, namely photography, and health-related matters.

---------- Post added at 10:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:13 PM ----------

Originally Posted by 5ft Diva

I'm working on writing my personal mission statement. I'd say I'm easily 40 hours into it already. It's definitely been a self discovery process. to work on.

Wow Diva! That's a lot of hours. If it's not too personal, you'll have to share some of it with us (your self discovery, and the mission statement). I'm intrigued by it all.

[5ft Diva]

The What Matters Most book (for me it's the CD's) that E has been talking about on here is walking me through the process. I'm sure the things that are important to me are the same kinds of things that are important to most people so I won't be too specific, but I will say that I was really surprised as to how important certain values were to me and why they were important. Its fun uncovering my own personal moral compass.

Something I heard on the CD's the other day was that as children we are very in tune to our true feelings and will follow those feelings - thus being true to ourselves. As we get older we aren't as true to those feelings and start listening to others around us. This is where we get the "should's, ought to's, and have to's" in life and we start being loyal to what others think we should do. (I identified with this in a huge way!!!!) Anyway, going through this process to figure out what is important to me and why its important has been very liberating. Cutting the cords that bind me to other's values has come to me a little easier than I thought it would which says to me that once you know what you want and why you want it its easy to follow through.

Don't know if this insight helps in any way. This is just what's happening to me.

[Meticulous madness]

Very cool Diva! I think it definitely sounds very liberating.

[Mamallama]

Wow how true and powerful this thought is ER! Thanks so much for passing along this gem from Elder Eyering. ER, I feel much the same as you: "I just see the world as so incredibly filled with stuff I don't know about and can't do, but that is only true because I haven't learned and haven't tried."

I love the charts your niece made---thanks for passing this along as well---it will be really helpful to me. I've printed off two copies. I'm choosing one 'spiritual' goal and one 'temporal' goal.

I'm excited. Thanks again ER!!

[Erudite]

I've now done 13 hours in nutrition. In some ways I feel like the last few of those hours were kind of a waste because what I was reading about is one person's take on how medicine and government is failing us in the area of nutrition, but I'm cateloging that as "one person's take" and moving on. I did learn a lot from that person's take on nutrition (see the book review for The China Study) and have made some serious adjustments in my diet as a result. But there is more to learn about how those adjustments will affect me personally and why. So I'm still hitting the books on this!

[5ft Diva]

Okay, so just for some perspective. I was just wondering how much information you're able to gobble up in 13 hours. Does it seem like a lot or a little? Just curious. I think I've narrowed down a subject to study....I'll figure it out by the end of today....I hope.

[Erudite]

I've gone through two books. One has about 100 pages of nutrition info and the other was the 350 page China Study. I've also spent some time in meal planning, though not a ton. It seems like a lot of time, but that I haven't done all that much with it, if that makes sense. It took me a long time to get through the China Study because I had to stop and debrief with Mike every couple of chapters. By "debrief" I mean I needed to say some of it out loud to be sure I was understanding and that I was pulling all the ideas together. (learn it, do it, teach it, you know?).

I have a nutrition textbook I'm working on now and an encyclopedia of health too. I'm up to 15 hours now.

[5ft Diva]

Okay, this sounds about what I was thinking. It's helping me define my subject of study. Sounds silly I know, I just wanted to just be realistic w/ my subject. Thanks!

[5ft Diva]

Okay, E. I've settled on a subject. The 'Sermon On The Mount' and I will dabble in finances as I don't want a lot of my attention going there. I'm also still working on WMM but that has it's own momentum and is just a matter of getting it done now. Just thought I'd update ya. Thanks for the challenge!

5D

[Erudite]

That sounds fascinating! Good luck with it!

E

[Erudite]

I should have reported back on this awhile ago, but I came here to print the 100 hour page again and read through this all again. So here's my report.

I never made it (or at least not yet) to 100 hours of studying nutrition. What happened is that after reading the China Study and applying some of its principles...life changed. Dramatically. The China Study advocates that we all need to eat less to NO meat or even animal products and it advocates eating whole food whenever possible. This is something we all know, but don't do...or at least I don't do...as well as we should.

So when I cut out meat and most animal products, it took about a month, when I suddenly noticed that my hands hadn't hurt in days. Then I noticed my energy coming back and for 6 solid months now, I've had only a BAD day every couple of weeks with semi-bad only once a week or so (it used to be the opposite with BAD lasting weeks and semi-bad being cause for celebration). For me, going vegetarian has meant that I have my life back, for the most part. I also haven't gained any weight since August. I haven't lost any and I need to lose a lot (having gained 50lbs while I was so sick), but I didn't gain and that was a real accomplishment.

And thus the 100 hours hasn't seemed to be a big deal anymore because the prompting to study nutrition led to really changing what I eat which led to better health. For me, this had led to a better understanding of what the Word of Wisdom means for my particular body type. I firmly believe that such radical changes would not have been possible without the prompting and strengthening of the spirit AND I believe that these changes are for me...meaning I don't advocate everyone going vegetarian. What I advocate is everyone attempting to gain more understanding for themselves and making the changes they feel prompted to make.

And there it is. Now that I haven't gained weight in 6 months, I'm beginning to think that if I can add back exercise, I might be able to lose some weight. Adding back exercise has been tough though, but I'm working on it with my family and hopefully we all can take some off. Maybe that is what I should study out now?

[Mamallama]

Wow ER!! That's exciting and amazing. To cut out meat and have such fantastic results---what a blessing---what a miracle! I'm very happy for you. Thanks for sharing your experience---very motivating and inspiring to me.