4 ms·

Why pay a personal trainer when you can just do pushups instead? Why go out for dinner when you could just cook for yourself? Why pay for a therapist when you

by hug 8y ago

Why pay a personal trainer when you can just do pushups instead? Why go out for dinner when you could just cook for yourself? Why pay for a therapist when you could just stop being depressed? Why pay for a financial advisor when you could just do your taxes yourself?

chewz 8y ago
Exactly, very good question. Why not just do pushups, walk the stairs or just go running, cook for yourself and your friends, know yourself instead of paying for therapy. Even doing taxes yourself isn't such a burden.
- iovrthoughtthis 8y ago
  I feel like your human experience may be significantly different from many other human experience. Glad you can just decide to do those things, do them and stick to doing them! Well done.
- yoz-y 8y ago
  It's really not that hard to find out at least one reason for each of these. Because just doing pushups is not enough and even those can de done badly. Because cooking yourself is a completely different experience from going out to eat, part of the experience is precisely _not having to cook and clean_. Because some people can't help themselves and could end up in really bad places, because for some people spending time doing taxes could be very well used otherwise...
  - chewz 8y ago
    I advise everyone reading Die Kunst des stilvollen Verarmens. Wie man ohne Geld reich wird [The Art of Growing Poor Stylishly] by Alexander von Schönburg. This is a book about why you do not really need all this stuff that commercial capitalism is trying to sell to you. It has inspired me years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander,_Count_of_Sch%C3%B6nburg-Glauchau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander,_Count_of_Sch%C3%B6n... https://www.rowohlt.de/fm/592/sample%20translationSchoenburg.pdf https://www.rowohlt.de/fm/592/sample%20translationSchoenburg... https://www.amazon.de/Die-Kunst-stilvollen-Verarmens-reich/dp/3871345202 https://www.amazon.de/Die-Kunst-stilvollen-Verarmens-reich/d...
    - mojuba 8y ago
      Skimmed through the sample translation and to my surprize not everything said there was as obvious as I was expecting it to be. Thanks!
    - ramchip 8y ago
      The samples are hilarious and thought-provoking. I’ll have to brush up my German to read this. Thanks for the recommendation!
- bananatiger 8y ago
  Except most people don't, wont, or can't. I got myself fit as I was able to plan for a healthier lifestyle and see it through. Not all folks can. I wasn't able to get myself mentally healthy however, and without paying for mental health support I would never have had the mental stability to get myself physically healthy. If you find life easy, good for you, but assuming everyone skips through life as easily as you is arrogant at best. Headspace is great. Is it as good as heading to a monastery and studying for years? No. Could you get the same experience without guidance? Sure, but most people haven't got the will power to stick to it. That's not a weakness. That's just human.
- hug 8y ago
  If you honestly can’t think of why anyone would do any of those things, you lead an incredibly blessed life.
- interfixus 8y ago
  Spot on, and I would have written that comment if you hadn't beat me to it. Once or twice a year I find myself in a restaurant setting, often reluctantly. The other three? Never.
rf15 8y ago
I'm not convinced that throwing money at the problem is the solution to everything. I think sometimes it takes actual personal effort.
- wjnc 8y ago
  Yes and apps are a middle ground for many people between their own lack of resolve and the major investment in time and often money that finding a group or trainer represent. Pretty awesome segmentation! You'd be amazed at how many adult runners start out on beginner apps / programs like it and join a running group, to give an example from another market. What apps are missing is a way to capture value from that platform way of thinking. (I understand localization is hard and very labour intensive thus far away from an apps core.)
- PascLeRasc 8y ago
  Did you go to a university? If so, do you think you got more out of "throwing money" at professors than you would have just trying to figure out [physical chemistry | architectural design | machine learning] yourself?
rv-de 8y ago
Your examples don't make any sense - neither by them selves nor with respect to the criticism they are aimed at.
superasn 8y ago
Similarly you can say Why sweat it out and do the hard work when you can just buy an abcrucher, abroller or slim suana belt that promise the same result without any effort. These apps too are meant to lure our lazy instant gratification craving part in exchange for money.
- wool_gather 8y ago
  I can only speak for Headspace, but there's nothing "instant gratification" about it at all. In fact, stuff like "this is a lifelong practice", "it's a struggle sometimes/at the beginning", "there's a lot to learn abput your mind" are constant refrains. Of course, you can still be cynical about that and say it's a great way for them to keep you subscribed. But for me, it's been a good introduction. I've been practicing regularly, I introduced a friend to it, and we have decided to sign up together for a retreat in the spring. So it's not necessarily just mind candy to pad out your credit card bill.
codingdave 8y ago
Every single one of those questions has the same answer: Because they have knowledge that I do not, and can help bring the results of that knowledge into my life. If an app brings change into your life, via application of knowledge you do not yet possess, then it has value. Whether or not these specific apps meet that criteria is, however, a question worth asking.
- DennisP 8y ago
  I suspect a better place to start is one of the excellent books on mindfulness meditation that's available now. The Mind Illuminated by John Yates is the one I see recommended the most, and it's helped me tremendously. It goes through ten stages, from novice to very advanced. I'm still close to the beginning, but the instructions in the first several chapters have helped me make far more progress than I ever had before. The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young is also quite good, with more of an emphasis on insight rather than concentration meditation. There's also the classic Mindfulness in Plain English. I do use one app. It lets me set a countdown timer, and plays a quiet gong when time is up. That's it.
  - emmanuel_1234 8y ago
    A bit late for the party, but there is really good reddit community around the Mind Illuminated. https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMindIlluminated/ https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMindIlluminated/
    - DennisP 8y ago
      Wow, thanks!
- floatingatoll 8y ago
  You’re missing an additional answer: Because they are paid to be uncompromising about your goals, so that when you’re weak they’re strong and push you to be better.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

by hug 8y ago

chewz 8y ago

Exactly, very good question. Why not just do pushups, walk the stairs or just go running, cook for yourself and your friends, know yourself instead of paying for therapy. Even doing taxes yourself isn't such a burden.

iovrthoughtthis 8y ago
I feel like your human experience may be significantly different from many other human experience. Glad you can just decide to do those things, do them and stick to doing them! Well done.
yoz-y 8y ago
It's really not that hard to find out at least one reason for each of these. Because just doing pushups is not enough and even those can de done badly. Because cooking yourself is a completely different experience from going out to eat, part of the experience is precisely _not having to cook and clean_. Because some people can't help themselves and could end up in really bad places, because for some people spending time doing taxes could be very well used otherwise...
- chewz 8y ago
  I advise everyone reading Die Kunst des stilvollen Verarmens. Wie man ohne Geld reich wird [The Art of Growing Poor Stylishly] by Alexander von Schönburg. This is a book about why you do not really need all this stuff that commercial capitalism is trying to sell to you. It has inspired me years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander,_Count_of_Sch%C3%B6nburg-Glauchau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander,_Count_of_Sch%C3%B6n... https://www.rowohlt.de/fm/592/sample%20translationSchoenburg.pdf https://www.rowohlt.de/fm/592/sample%20translationSchoenburg... https://www.amazon.de/Die-Kunst-stilvollen-Verarmens-reich/dp/3871345202 https://www.amazon.de/Die-Kunst-stilvollen-Verarmens-reich/d...
  - mojuba 8y ago
    Skimmed through the sample translation and to my surprize not everything said there was as obvious as I was expecting it to be. Thanks!
  - ramchip 8y ago
    The samples are hilarious and thought-provoking. I’ll have to brush up my German to read this. Thanks for the recommendation!
bananatiger 8y ago
Except most people don't, wont, or can't. I got myself fit as I was able to plan for a healthier lifestyle and see it through. Not all folks can. I wasn't able to get myself mentally healthy however, and without paying for mental health support I would never have had the mental stability to get myself physically healthy. If you find life easy, good for you, but assuming everyone skips through life as easily as you is arrogant at best. Headspace is great. Is it as good as heading to a monastery and studying for years? No. Could you get the same experience without guidance? Sure, but most people haven't got the will power to stick to it. That's not a weakness. That's just human.
hug 8y ago
If you honestly can’t think of why anyone would do any of those things, you lead an incredibly blessed life.
interfixus 8y ago
Spot on, and I would have written that comment if you hadn't beat me to it. Once or twice a year I find myself in a restaurant setting, often reluctantly. The other three? Never.

rf15 8y ago

I'm not convinced that throwing money at the problem is the solution to everything. I think sometimes it takes actual personal effort.

wjnc 8y ago
Yes and apps are a middle ground for many people between their own lack of resolve and the major investment in time and often money that finding a group or trainer represent. Pretty awesome segmentation! You'd be amazed at how many adult runners start out on beginner apps / programs like it and join a running group, to give an example from another market. What apps are missing is a way to capture value from that platform way of thinking. (I understand localization is hard and very labour intensive thus far away from an apps core.)
PascLeRasc 8y ago
Did you go to a university? If so, do you think you got more out of "throwing money" at professors than you would have just trying to figure out [physical chemistry | architectural design | machine learning] yourself?

rv-de 8y ago

Your examples don't make any sense - neither by them selves nor with respect to the criticism they are aimed at.

superasn 8y ago

Similarly you can say Why sweat it out and do the hard work when you can just buy an abcrucher, abroller or slim suana belt that promise the same result without any effort. These apps too are meant to lure our lazy instant gratification craving part in exchange for money.

wool_gather 8y ago
I can only speak for Headspace, but there's nothing "instant gratification" about it at all. In fact, stuff like "this is a lifelong practice", "it's a struggle sometimes/at the beginning", "there's a lot to learn abput your mind" are constant refrains. Of course, you can still be cynical about that and say it's a great way for them to keep you subscribed. But for me, it's been a good introduction. I've been practicing regularly, I introduced a friend to it, and we have decided to sign up together for a retreat in the spring. So it's not necessarily just mind candy to pad out your credit card bill.

codingdave 8y ago

Every single one of those questions has the same answer: Because they have knowledge that I do not, and can help bring the results of that knowledge into my life. If an app brings change into your life, via application of knowledge you do not yet possess, then it has value. Whether or not these specific apps meet that criteria is, however, a question worth asking.

DennisP 8y ago
I suspect a better place to start is one of the excellent books on mindfulness meditation that's available now. The Mind Illuminated by John Yates is the one I see recommended the most, and it's helped me tremendously. It goes through ten stages, from novice to very advanced. I'm still close to the beginning, but the instructions in the first several chapters have helped me make far more progress than I ever had before. The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young is also quite good, with more of an emphasis on insight rather than concentration meditation. There's also the classic Mindfulness in Plain English. I do use one app. It lets me set a countdown timer, and plays a quiet gong when time is up. That's it.
- emmanuel_1234 8y ago
  A bit late for the party, but there is really good reddit community around the Mind Illuminated. https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMindIlluminated/ https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMindIlluminated/
  - DennisP 8y ago
    Wow, thanks!
floatingatoll 8y ago
You’re missing an additional answer: Because they are paid to be uncompromising about your goals, so that when you’re weak they’re strong and push you to be better.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]