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00:05:55.340 1. Will this course of action create a gap between my ideal self and my non-desired self?
00:10:28.110 2. Does this action truly represent my intentions?
00:15:04.649 3. Am I merely uncomfortable?
00:18:49.950 4. What would I do if I had no choice but to exercise self-discipline?
00:21:24.029 5. Is “I don’t want to” a good enough excuse to not do something?
00:25:43.800 6. Am I doing the right thing or the easy thing?
00:32:21.180 Here are two options
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• Yes or no? Just a simple answer, please, with no BS. This chapter is all about self-interrogation and digging into your excuses and rationalizations to avoid exercising self-discipline. What follows is typically self-awareness at how casually you view avoiding work. There are six questions to bring clarity. Most are indeed yes/no questions to force you to either admit a harsh truth or take action.
• Will this course of action create a gap between my ideal self and my non-desired self? Alternatively, does this action take me closer or farther from my goals?
• Does this action truly represent my intentions? If not, then what the heck am I doing?
• Am I merely uncomfortable? Am I letting mere discomfort keep me from my goals? Am I so mentally weak?
• What would I do if I had no choice but to exercise self-discipline? Certainly not the worst-case scenario.
• Is “I don’t want to” a good enough excuse to not do something? You may have the ability to use this excuse, but what about those who are never able to take a break and have to act every single time? It’s difficult to feel gratitude and lack self-discipline at the same time.
• Am I doing the right thing or the easy thing? There’s usually only one path to what you want, and it’s not typically an easy one.
• Is there a real obstacle to my goal that I can’t overcome? This focuses you on the fact that most of the time, the so-called obstacle is not the problem, but our attitude is. If we wanted to do it, no obstacle would stop us, and if we didn’t want to do it, we wouldn’t, even if there we zero obstacles.
• What is the outcome of this action if I continue along this path? Switch your focus away from instant gratification and see how a decision plays out over time, from ten minutes to ten years into the future. When you choose something, you are also choosing the consequences of that thing, even if those consequences don’t kick in for a while.