Talk about Li Xiaolai's new book "The Half Second"

Finally finished reading it!

I think this is a reference for everyone who wants to improve, do well in investing, learn English well, and manage family relationships; it is a crucial operating system.

Those good at English can read the original text directly, and those who are not can use your AI to assist in reading, you will definitely gain a lot!

In fact, a person's true self is not defined by what you say you are after thinking it through, but by what your body automatically reacts with within half a second after something happens.

For example, if your partner's tone is not good, is your first reaction to retaliate or to look at the other person? If your child spills milk, is your first reaction to frown or to relax? If the investment suddenly drops, is your first reaction to rationally analyze whether you should cut your losses or to avoid it altogether?

This is the "window before rationality is fully activated, where the body has already begun to react."

Teacher Xiaolai provided us with a rather terrifying conclusion: this window, half a second, is the real operating system of a person.

Most of the time, we think we live in rationality, but in fact, we often live in pre-installed reactions. We are hijacked by our pre-installed reactions, but remain unaware.

So why is it difficult to rely on willpower to combat our shortcomings? Because willpower comes half a second too late, and the nerves have already guided the body to act.

Willpower belongs to conscious awareness, which requires thinking, evaluating, and judging; but the first reaction of bad habits has already activated before that.

By the time you realize you shouldn't act that way, your hand has already reached for your phone, your mouth is already ready to retaliate, and the trading button is almost pressed.

So this book fundamentally tells us: how are these first reactions installed in the first place,

Of course, just presenting the facts without providing solutions is a type of scam, so Teacher Xiaolai provides a method that allows us to re-edit them, to serve us better.

At its core, let’s discuss a skill called: self talk

1️⃣ Self talk has a complete operating system,

The book presents a working model called frequency counter, which can be understood as "a familiarity counter for the brain."

Its logic is very simple: the brain's fast system does not always judge truth or falsehood; it often only judges familiarity.

Thus, Teacher Xiaolai mentions that since the brain can operate this way, you can reinstall reactions using your own voice, which is what he consistently emphasizes: you can hijack your own brain!

This is the true position of self talk. To take back a mechanism that has been used by the outside world and use it for oneself.

2️⃣ Change revolves around altering identity;

Change is not about changing behavior, but rather about changing the identity pivot, which is also the core of the book, explaining why and then telling you how to do it.

Self talk does not mean you repeatedly tell yourself positive things, while your body does not know how to act; engaging in the so-called spiritual victory method is not the point,

It tells us that the first reaction has structure. A first reaction typically comprises three components: identity, situation, action.

For example, regarding his smoking habit that Teacher Xiaolai mentions:

Identity: I am a smoker.

Situation: After a meal, during writing breaks, in times of anxiety, when a friend offers a cigarette.

Action: Light one up.

If you only change the action, you will feel fatigued. Because you would have to resist in countless situations: can't smoke after meals, can't smoke while writing, can't smoke under stress, can't smoke when offered by friends. There are too many situations, and you can't hold them all back.

But if you change your identity, for instance, if you tell yourself: I am a person who never smokes, once that identity is installed, it will influence the action in many situations. The book refers to identity as a hub. Editing identity is more effective than fighting against actions one by one.

3️⃣ The core of effective mantras is Action, not Mood

So you need to set a script for yourself, Teacher Xiaolai mentions ARISE.

It includes five dimensions:

A: Action.

R: Reason.

I: Identity.

S: Situation.

E: Emotion/feeling content.

Thus, the core of the script is Action: it must be an action that the body can execute, others can observe, and can be initiated within half a second;

This is why:

Being calm is not as effective as taking three deep breaths before responding.

Not being anxious is not as effective as opening the bill within 60 seconds of its arrival.

Not being impulsive in trading is not as effective as not trading for a whole day when prices fluctuate.

Wanting to love your child more is not as effective as looking into their eyes when they speak and then responding.

So you see, the core is not to give the brain state commands, but to give the body clear action commands.

Based on this, saying "I am not anxious" or "I remain calm" is a desire, not an action; we need to give ourselves set actions, not wishes.

For example, when learning English, the real key is not to talk to myself every day about "memorizing more words," but to let English enter your self-talk system, telling your brain what kind of person you are, installing a small system to trick your own nerves.

You can talk to yourself:

I am a person who thinks in English because it is essential to my life, and I would be very happy to learn English well!

When I talk to myself, I say the next sentence in English. My own voice makes English familiar.

4️⃣ Say it out loud!

The key point of Teacher Xiaolai is that you must say it out loud, instead of just thinking it in your mind. You need to engage your muscles, say these words out loud, bringing "I want to change" from the level of concept down to the level of the body.

The core mechanism of this book is called frequency counter, which can be understood as "the brain's familiarity counter."

It does not always judge truth or falsehood but rather assesses familiarity. The more repetition, the more familiar; the more familiar, the easier it is to automatically emerge within half a second.

The effect of saying it out loud is to make each repetition feel "heavier."

Thinking it once in your mind may only lightly brush past.

Saying it once integrates meaning, action, voice, auditory perception, and identity together.

It resembles a high-quality count.

Just like when you scroll through short videos, why is it easier to be brainwashed when visuals, sounds, music, and subtitles come together? Because it is not a single-channel stimulus, but multi-channel stimulation.

Saying self talk out loud means that you actively use multi-channel stimulation to reprogram yourself.

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