This week, eat a healthy breakfast at the start of every day. If it’s too late to do it today, that’s fine. Just start tomorrow.

There are plenty of meal options available on DrWayneAndersen.com as well as in my book Habits of Health, but to help you get started, a healthy breakfast might include strawberries or peaches, ¾ cup of rolled oats, and a ½ cup of low-fat milk. You could also eat ½ a grapefruit with a scrambled egg and 1 cup of green tea. You can also check our Resources page for other food ideas and recommendations. Those ideas should get you started!

Frames of Desire

Robert Fritz describes human desire in terms of three major categories, or frames. To illustrate the way we frame our desires, he talks about the shots a video camera makes. Look at a close-up: we can see lots of detail, but we may not be able to tell what we’re looking at. If the camera backs up, we can see the object fully. But if it backs up even further, things get hard to see again.
Imagine our desires as having a close-up frame, a medium –shot frame, and a long-shot frame. In the close-up, time passes very quickly. Our desires want immediate gratification. This is the frame of appetites, instincts, and impulses.

The Close-Up Frame of Human Desire: Appetites, Instincts, Impulses

List three current behaviors that fit into the Close-Up Frame. For example, going to the all-you-can-eat buffet even though I’m overweight; taking the escalator rather than the stairs even though I’m not exercising.

The Medium-Shot Frame of Human Desire: Aspirations and Values

Now, let’s back up to a medium shot. Now we’re thinking in terms of months, years, and decades. We understand that what we do today has consequences tomorrow—something we don’t have when we’re in close-up frame. Instead of appetites and impulses, we think in terms of aspirations and values.

List three current behaviors that fit into this frame. For example, walking every day to help improve my health; checking labels to eliminate trans-fats from my diet to improve my health.

The Long-Shot Frame of Human Desire: Vague Hopes and Longings

Let’s back up even more, to a long shot. Here, we’re less able to focus on our current situation and see how it leads to the future. People who live in this frame think, “Someday I’ll write the great novel” or “Someday I’ll work on creating health for myself.” But in the long-shot frame, someday never comes. This is the frame of vague hopes and empty dreams.
List three current behaviors that fit into this frame. For example, I’m going to start sleeping better when I change jobs; I’ll start eating vegetables when it gets warmer.
For today, I’ll leave you with this question to ponder. Which frame do you think we should spend our time in?
Think on it. We’ll talk about frames more tomorrow.
In health,