Author: Maneesh Sethi

Pavlokians,

Greetings from Tanzania and happy Friday.

I’m currently on my first vacation in over two years, and it’s been a truly amazing experience.

If you ever get a chance to make it this way, I can’t recommend it enough.

Today I want to talk about something that’s been weighing heavily on my mind over the last few days.

Community.

No, I’m not talking about community in the buzzword-marketing kind of way.

I mean genuine community.

The place you can go and feel welcome no matter what. The place you can go for support, encouragement, and even the occasional kick in the rear.

A place that welcomes you, no matter your goals, ambitions, struggles, or successes. A place that brings out the best in you.

One of the reasons so many people struggle to make positive change in their life, is because they act as if they have to go at it alone, especially when it comes to habit change.

“No one understands how hard it is to quit smoking!”

“I need to lose 20lbs but I just can’t stop eating sweets!”

“Ugh, no one understands how hard it is to quit biting my nails.”

Perhaps you can relate.

As we say time and time again, changing your behavior isn’t an overnight process. But if you choose to tackle your biggest problems alone, you’re only making it harder on yourself.

Which is why community is so important.

Of course, there are many types of communities.

Your family is a community. Your coworkers are a community. Your friends are a community.

And if your communities aren’t actively helping you improve, it can have a drastic effect on your habits, progress, and goals.

I truly believe finding your community is one of the most important things you can do to improve the quality of your life.

My goal with Pavlok isn’t just to change human behavior, it’s to create one of the best communities in the world to help you become your best self.

We welcome anyone who is wanting to change for the better. We welcome anyone who may feel “lost” or “confused.” We welcome anyone who dares to dream big and change the world.

And we are just getting started.

If you’re struggling with those bad habits or not doing the things you need to reach your goals…

The right community can help.

It’s time to stop sitting on the sidelines and hoping for the best. It’s time to use the support around you to finally make the change you want.

Join the Pavlok community today and end this year on the right foot. Stop by our Facebook group and say “hi”. We’ve had people just like you quit smoking, stop biting their nails, start getting up early… and more.

So make the commitment. Get involved. Pre-order your Pavlok 2 now.

-Maneesh Sethi

CEO of Pavlok

P.S Join the Pavlok community by downloading the new Pavlok app on IOS and Android. Work on yourself with the support of hundreds of Pavlokians around the world.

Pavlokians,

Without a doubt one of the best habits you can implement in your daily life, is cultivating gratitude.

The science is clear. Being “grateful” can have a  profound impact on your health, energy, and overall life happiness.

If the pharmaceutical industry could put gratitude in a pill, it would be the best selling vitamin in no time.

But…

I’ll admit. It’s not always easy being grateful.

Things go wrong. Life happens.

You burn your morning toast.

You get in a massive fight with your partner over something silly.

Your recent star hire just put in his 2 weeks.

The list goes on and on.

And yet… the gratitude habit isn’t about ignoring the small frustrations of your day. It’s about consciously choosing to focus on what’s going right. It’s about training your mind to see the good in virtually any situation.

Here are two ways I’ve found to cultivate the gratitude habit.

Write Down Three Things You’re Grateful For Each Night

As psychologist Shawn Achor shares in his viral TED talk,“ The Happy Secret To Better Work”, simply writing down three things you’re grateful for each day goes a long way in helping you see the “bright side” in life.

It can help you perform better at work, improve your relationships, and even give you more energy.

What you write on the list doesn’t really matter. Maybe today you’re grateful for that delicious Chipotle burrito.

The point is building the habit of consistently acknowledging the small things that bring you happiness and joy.

Each morning, or night, right before you go to bed, take out a note card and write the 3 things you’re grateful for that day.

Maybe you hit all the green lights on your way to work.

Maybe you got to read your favorite book for 20 minutes.

Or maybe it’s something as simple as playing ball with your dog.

Each day write 3 things, no matter what.

Use Pavlok 2 To Build Your Gratitude Muscle

Writing down 3 things you’re grateful for each day is a great step in building the gratitude habit. But for many, that just isn’t enough.

If you want to really push that gratitude muscle, you can set reminders throughout the day to take a moment to reflect.

Using your Pavlok 2 you can set your alarm to buzz you every hour. When your Pavlok 2 vibrates, stop what you’re doing and think about one thing that’s going well during your day.

For each vibration, try and come up with something entirely new. If you’re having a bad day, it might be something as simple as “I wasn’t late today”, or it could be “tomorrow is Friday.”

The point is to force yourself to find the good throughout the day, every day.

Overtime, you’ll find that this practice will be one of the best parts of your day, and it will become easier to flex your gratitude muscle on command.

In addition to using Pavlok to remind you to be grateful you can also use Pavlok 2’s shock feature to help reduce those negative thoughts.

Every time you catch yourself thinking something overly negative, give yourself a zap. After, immediately replace your negative thought with something more positive.

“Wow, I did TERRIBLE on my presentation today.”

ZAP…. Reframe

“While it wasn’t my best presentation, I’m proud of the work I did on the design.”

While you will never remove negative thoughts completely (they can serve as a valuable tool) implementing this routine in your daily life can help you become more grateful each and every day.

Wherever you’re reading this, take a moment right now to reflect on something you’re grateful for.

No really. Stop reading and do that now. I promise you’ll feel better.

Now go forth and have a wonderful day.

-Maneesh Sethi

CEO of Pavlok

P.S Pre-order your Pavlok 2 and start building your gratitude habit.

Watch me demo Pavlok Core!

Hey Pavlokians,

We interrupt this regular Link Friday to share some very exciting news!

On Wednesday, we announced you could now pre-order the Pavlok 2, and get it just in time for the holidays. We’re really excited because a ton of you have been taking advantage of the limited time only 20% discount.

But today isn’t about Pavlok 2.

Today we’re excited to announce that our brand new Pavlok Core app will be available very soon.

We listened to all of your feedback and suggestions and have completely revamped the new app making it easier than ever to track your habits and reach your goals.

In addition to being completely redesigned, the app is more customizable than ever allowing you to choose from dozens of internal apps to improve your habits.

But there’s more.

With Pavlok Core you’re now able to earn our digital currency Volts that allow you unlock new modules and upgrades.

Download Pavlok Core and get rewarded for your good behavior. Literally.

Earn volts by meditating, checking in, and even just getting up on time!

Finally, Pavlok Core does not require the Pavlok device so anyone can use it!

While we’re putting on the final touches and getting ready to ship…

But first we need your help.

We created a quick 2 minute survey to determine which internal apps we develop first.

Calendar integration? To do list? Let us know what you want to see.

Vote for your favorite module and feature… and we’ll do our best to make your vote happen!