6 ms·

For me personally, "being lazy" is awful because I'm stuck in a constant battle between my personality (which wants to mould to the shape of my couch and watch

For me personally, "being lazy" is awful because I'm stuck in a constant battle between my personality (which wants to mould to the shape of my couch and watch TV forever) and my mind (which desperately wants to leave a mark on the world). Every day I spend couch potatoing feels like a complete and utter failure of the soul, and it seems like most of my effort is actually spent on trying to bend my personality into the shape I want it to be. If you try and fail, at least you're still left with that invaluable experience! Most accomplished people have a repertoire of failures behind them; most don't seem to have years of dicking around.

babaganoosh89 9y ago
What's so great about TV? If you want to do something then do it. Otherwise you didn't want to do it in the first place.
- aoeuasdf1 9y ago
  People contain multitudes. "You" aren't a single entity which wants or doesn't want things. There is such thing as internal conflict.
  - ruleabidinguser 9y ago
    Personally disagree
  - ethbro 9y ago
    The two of you are saying the same thing with different definitions.
- Cthulhu_ 9y ago
  Wanting to do something vs doing something else are two different things. I want to be rich but I'd rather watch TV. I think accepting that you enjoy watching TV or other passive means of entertainment is more important than beating yourself up over not doing something more productive.
jaggederest 9y ago
I've felt like this my entire life. Turns out for me that it is a symptom of (undiagnosed) ADHD - an execution problem, not a motivational problem. Having gotten that diagnosed, it's a very significant change in my life. To be cliche, the first day of the rest of my life. For many people, "trying to bend their personality into the shape [they] want it to be" is fruitless, totally counterproductive. The first thing I had to learn was that in order to change my behavior, I had to change my environment, not my attitudes. My attitudes are fine, indeed, perhaps excessively eager. It's possible that other people could take something away from that, ADHD or not, it's better to accept and appreciate who you are and the value you bring to the world, and instead seek to make changes to where you are, what is around you, and how you relate through that to the rest of the world.
- ruleabidinguser 9y ago
  What reason is there to think ADHD is just nice words for failure?
  - jaggederest 9y ago
    Objective physiological and neurological differences in brain structure?
  - genkimind 9y ago
    It's real.
  - WalterSear 9y ago
    A huge body of scientific evidence.
- speeder 9y ago
  What you changed in your environment? (I ask because I had same experience, except now that I am diagnosed I am struggling to find what I am supposed to do... I am kinda spinning in place without going anywhere)
  - 9y ago
puranjay 9y ago
I'm very similar to you and grappled with the same issues. What really changed for me was reading some Hindu philosophy. I'm Indian and Hindu by birth but have been agnostic pretty much all my life. I looked into the philosophical component of Hinduism out of curiosity. The heart of Hindu philosophy is in the Gita. The core idea of Gita is to "do your duty regardless of the results" This is a belief I've now come to embrace wholeheartedly. I've stopped bothering with the results. I've stopped bothering with what others are doing. I only focus on what I CAN do - my duty - and forget about the rest. Relinquishing control has been a great thing
didip 9y ago
Many years ago I was like you, and then I discovered this nifty life hack: Whenever I am in slouch mode, quick come up with the quickest home chore I haven't done. Vacuuming? Washing dishes? Cleaning dining table? The quicker the chore could be done, the better. And as you about to finish it, come up with the 2nd one. After the 3rd time, your mind is awake and ready to do productive things, like a side project, etc. It's like bicycle for your mind, the first couple strokes are always difficult.
mixmastamyk 9y ago
Feeling behind is worthless, I agree with the article, though do it more than I'd like. The way I "quit" TV, and sugar, for that matter was to get them out of my day-to-day habit. For me that meant getting them out of the house. Sell the TV and dump cable if it is standing between you and your goals. Personally did that after a long period of travel after finding I did not miss it once. With sugar, I stopped buying anything at the grocery with significant carbs. If I need a treat I turn to premium dark chocolate. I still might partake a bit of either while out on the weekend but that is it. Now trying to push alcohol and caffeine to the same category but finding them more difficult.

babaganoosh89 9y ago

What's so great about TV? If you want to do something then do it. Otherwise you didn't want to do it in the first place.

aoeuasdf1 9y ago
People contain multitudes. "You" aren't a single entity which wants or doesn't want things. There is such thing as internal conflict.
- ruleabidinguser 9y ago
  Personally disagree
- ethbro 9y ago
  The two of you are saying the same thing with different definitions.
Cthulhu_ 9y ago
Wanting to do something vs doing something else are two different things. I want to be rich but I'd rather watch TV. I think accepting that you enjoy watching TV or other passive means of entertainment is more important than beating yourself up over not doing something more productive.

jaggederest 9y ago

I've felt like this my entire life. Turns out for me that it is a symptom of (undiagnosed) ADHD - an execution problem, not a motivational problem. Having gotten that diagnosed, it's a very significant change in my life. To be cliche, the first day of the rest of my life. For many people, "trying to bend their personality into the shape [they] want it to be" is fruitless, totally counterproductive. The first thing I had to learn was that in order to change my behavior, I had to change my environment, not my attitudes. My attitudes are fine, indeed, perhaps excessively eager. It's possible that other people could take something away from that, ADHD or not, it's better to accept and appreciate who you are and the value you bring to the world, and instead seek to make changes to where you are, what is around you, and how you relate through that to the rest of the world.

ruleabidinguser 9y ago
What reason is there to think ADHD is just nice words for failure?
- jaggederest 9y ago
  Objective physiological and neurological differences in brain structure?
- genkimind 9y ago
  It's real.
- WalterSear 9y ago
  A huge body of scientific evidence.
speeder 9y ago
What you changed in your environment? (I ask because I had same experience, except now that I am diagnosed I am struggling to find what I am supposed to do... I am kinda spinning in place without going anywhere)
- 9y ago

puranjay 9y ago

I'm very similar to you and grappled with the same issues. What really changed for me was reading some Hindu philosophy. I'm Indian and Hindu by birth but have been agnostic pretty much all my life. I looked into the philosophical component of Hinduism out of curiosity. The heart of Hindu philosophy is in the Gita. The core idea of Gita is to "do your duty regardless of the results" This is a belief I've now come to embrace wholeheartedly. I've stopped bothering with the results. I've stopped bothering with what others are doing. I only focus on what I CAN do - my duty - and forget about the rest. Relinquishing control has been a great thing

didip 9y ago

Many years ago I was like you, and then I discovered this nifty life hack: Whenever I am in slouch mode, quick come up with the quickest home chore I haven't done. Vacuuming? Washing dishes? Cleaning dining table? The quicker the chore could be done, the better. And as you about to finish it, come up with the 2nd one. After the 3rd time, your mind is awake and ready to do productive things, like a side project, etc. It's like bicycle for your mind, the first couple strokes are always difficult.

mixmastamyk 9y ago

Feeling behind is worthless, I agree with the article, though do it more than I'd like. The way I "quit" TV, and sugar, for that matter was to get them out of my day-to-day habit. For me that meant getting them out of the house. Sell the TV and dump cable if it is standing between you and your goals. Personally did that after a long period of travel after finding I did not miss it once. With sugar, I stopped buying anything at the grocery with significant carbs. If I need a treat I turn to premium dark chocolate. I still might partake a bit of either while out on the weekend but that is it. Now trying to push alcohol and caffeine to the same category but finding them more difficult.