Is it better to reach toward something positive or actively avoid something negative? The carrot rewards you after accomplishing a milestone.  The stick punishes after deviating from the milestone’s path. Question of the day: the carrot or the stick? Some say it should be all carrots, all the time.  The stick mentality is unnecessary, crude, and cruel and positive reinforcement works better over the long haul.  Others side with short-term data, which prefers the stick. Dr. Champ (Caveman Doctor) and I recorded Episode #70 of Relentless Roger and the Caveman Doctor last night.  We discussed the habit forming device Pavlok, a bracelet that literally shock you when you deviate from your chosen goal. Crude?  You betcha.  Effective?  I betcha. The discussion took me back to 2007 when a series of Internet entrepreneurs popularized (likely re-popularized) a trend of wearing and snapping rubber bands for the same purpose.  For example, here is Tim Ferriss’s 21 day no complaint experiment. Take a look at the 438 and counting comments on that Tim Ferriss post.  You’ll notice that the carrot versus stick discussion is a polarizing one! Why so serious? What about simply saying: whatever works?  What about choosing whatever achieves your desired end result and not getting caught … Continue reading Carrots, Sticks, and Shocks