12 ms·

How to build discipline and brainwash yourself

253 points by ryanwaggoner 16y ago

amih 16y ago
I'm not religious but this seems like prayer, where you repeat with similar frequency some ideas. Unlike established religion, here you can pick the subject you want to transfer to your mind as new habits of thought. Nice! I will check this book.
- pbhjpbhj 16y ago
  Christian prayer is usually non-repetitive. However I know in other religions (Islam say) that prayer is more often strictly formalised. I guess if you used the Book of Common Prayer or something then it would work for Anglicans too. More like meditation, it made me think of Ps119:97+ or the last para of Phillipians; or indeed any of multiple places where the Bible reader is encouraged to meditate on scripture and hold it in their hearts (or indeed as the Jews act out "pin it to your forehead").
  - mildweed 16y ago
    There are a lot of good motivational/business advice passages in the Bible, I'd be interested to see if somebody's assembled all of those into a collection.
    - mmavnn 16y ago
      A lot of them are already conveniently gathered in the book of Proverbs (see my comment above)
    - b_emery 16y ago
      This was done, by no less than Thomas Jefferson: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible resulting in a 46 page bible.
- bincat 16y ago
  Mormons also have their requirement to read Book of Mormon and pray daily. I'd caution to be really careful what information one chooses to reprogram their mind in that manner. You may end up believing or living by ideas that have no bearing on reality.
ryanwaggoner 16y ago
I hesitated before submitting this here, because motivational / self-improvement stuff is a hard sell with the HN crowd (and for good reason). However, I've found it very helpful, and thought someone else here might as well. We all like to read deep, technical things that make us smarter and more knowledgeable, but it turns out that most people fail not because they're not smart enough or knowledgeable enough, but because they lack the discipline and drive to match their goals and ambitions.
- eru 16y ago
  How about writing your own mantras and them repeating on the book's schedule?
  - ryanwaggoner 16y ago
    I agree that this could be a really effective approach, and I did consider it, particularly because I'm a Christian and I spent more time reading this book than I do reading my Bible :) Actually, you've just given me an idea; I'm going to put together something like this for hackers and founders. Come to think of it, that's a little of what we're doing at http://hn.21times.org http://hn.21times.org, though the articles are too long for this kind of repetitive reading. Any suggestions?
    - mmavnn 16y ago
      Proverbs. It conveniently has 31 chapters (one for each day of the month) and is full of useful... well, proverbs. The mix of the painfully down to earth and strongly God centred is helpful sometimes as well. Edit: this isn't so much a suggestion to founders/hackers in general, more to the Christian ones given your comment above. Plenty of good stuff in there for everyone, though.
    - ssing 16y ago
      These are some of my positive mantras I got from a book that had been very helpful. Replace "I have to" with "I choose to" "I must finish" with "When can I start" "This is so big" with "I can take a small step" "I must be perfect" with "I can be human" "I don't have time to play" with "I must take time to play"
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
x0ner 16y ago
I can only imagine that if you are writing a post about the book that you did in fact read the passages as recommended. I personally am curious however if you ever reached a point of skimming? I am not sure if I could see the benefit in re-reading the same thing over and over. Yes, it instills the point their trying to make, but at what point is it overkill? Not to discredit it, but it reminds me of the whole process people with anxiety take to calm themselves down..."It will all be fine", "I am ok", "Things are out of my control", etc.
Alleyfield 16y ago
Why couldn't I just make a little book for myself that would include inspirational quotes from my own personal heroes and just read them out aloud them every day? I mean seriously... That example scroll just seemed kinda tootsy wootsy, some might even say "gay", like in a harry-potter-fantasy-world kind of way.
- ryanwaggoner 16y ago
  You could. And probably should. I've thought about doing that myself, as I have no shortage of quotes and inspirational passages that I have collected from my readings over the years. But this book was a good place to start, and while corny, I found the message to be solid. Hey, this might do absolutely nothing for you, which is fine. Like I said, I found it helpful and I perceive a difference in my attitudes and behaviors after spending a year with this book. But that's just me.
  - Alleyfield 16y ago
    I already have one. :) I didn't question whether this book has worked for you or not, it's good if it has and more power to you. It's about the reader's own attitude towards it. If you really believe in those passages (which, based on the passage, seem to be written like horoscopes) then of course they're going to work for you. Just like horoscopes magically seem to work into every situation. In my humble honest opinion, advice like "I will persist until I succeed" just creates train wrecks. Especially when repeated 75 times in a month. I also believe that self help books like this one tend to cloud the reader's judgement and inflate their egos - which is not nice.
- mike-cardwell 16y ago
  But then he wouldn't get the Amazon affiliate revenue :(
  - ryanwaggoner 16y ago
    Yeah, that $0.48 commission is why I spent a year reading this book three times a day. You caught me.
joseacta 16y ago
The repeating of the sentences every day has to do with your subconscious mind. Repeating it will record these words in your brain and with time your thinking will change along. If you read it once, probably tomorrow you won't remember what it said.
joakin 16y ago
I would seriously consider acquiring an audio version
- eru 16y ago
  Or make your own.
shadowsun7 16y ago
Remind me: why is this on the frontpage of HN, again?
- eru 16y ago
  Because there are loads of slackers reading HN, who'd like to change. Now go back to work!
edw519 16y ago
Reasons to not buy the book: 1. I am a scientist. This sure doesn't seem like science to me. Reasons to buy the book: 1. I am too ignorant to be pessimistic. 2. The source of the suggestion. Ryan's judgement usually seems pretty sound. Two reasons are better than one. Just bought the book. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday.
- ryanwaggoner 16y ago
  Ha! I'm flattered; hope it works for you. On the science question, I'd be interested to read more about the science of motivation. It seems intuitive that reading the same thing over and over would tend to reinforce it in your mind. Isn't that the basis for propaganda and brainwashing in general? However, intuition and science are often orthogonal, so some hard data would be interesting.
  - revorad 16y ago
    The brainiacs at LessWrong have been thinking, discussing and arguing about akrasia for a long time - http://lesswrong.com/tag/akrasia/ http://lesswrong.com/tag/akrasia/. You will find some references to scientific studies and data there. Sounds like a very difficult nut to crack.
    - lionhearted 16y ago
      Regular LessWrong reader, infrequent LW contributor here. I think the problem with akrasia is it's a lot like "being sick" - if you call your physician on the phone and say, "I'm sick" he won't be able to really help you without further diagnosis. Seems like akrasia could be any one of a couple dozen things (fear of failure, fear of success, habit, chemical addiction, many more things). We're not at a point in anti-akrasia/rationality/motivation/etc to be able to accurately diagnose and treat all of the causes of it. I think we'll get there, though. Someday. Quite a ways off. But progress is being made. In the meantime, I'll second Ryan's recommendation for the book. It's good.
bh42 16y ago
There was a study which pointed out that this only works if you have self confidence, then you can brainwash yourself with affirmations like those. But if you are insecure, then affirmations actually make you worse of because it is like poking your vicious inner self-critic with a stick. I'd love to cite the study but my google-fu fails me today.
- jkkramer 16y ago
  http://www.economist.com/node/13815141?story_id=13815141 http://www.economist.com/node/13815141?story_id=13815141 http://www.psychologicalscience.org/media/releases/2009/wood.cfm http://www.psychologicalscience.org/media/releases/2009/wood...
johnohara 16y ago
I reject the term 'brainwash' and choose instead to replace it with 'creative visualization.' A technique familiar to most serious athletes and the rationale behind the word 'training.' The thinking is simple: Visualize your goal in full detail before you actually create it. Edwin Moses' '13 steps' rule is a perfect example. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Moses http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Moses In this regard, it's not that far from 'The Law of Attraction.' Through discipline, hard work, patience, and confidence, the goal approaches you as you approach it.
u48998 16y ago
The black Friday bug seems to have hit HN. Two purchasing suggestions in two days with loads of social comments (making it enticing of course). So why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
- trickjarrett 16y ago
  Give it time, soon Thanksgiving will become an artifact of a holiday with a small loyal following and Black Friday will become the real holiday.
- arethuza 16y ago
  So you chaps really do celebrate Thanksgiving - I thought it was just a plot element in sitcoms...
  - space-monkey 16y ago
    Well, if by "celebrate" you mean "eat a lot of food", then yes!
- eru 16y ago
  Who's we? I don't.
EdiX 16y ago
Read this sentence three times a day for five weeks: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."
- samd 16y ago
  Why is that insanity? Is it because you expect that the future will be like the past and thus continuing to do the same thing that you've been doing will produce the same results? Well, why do you think the future will be like the past? Is it because, in the past, the future was always like the past, and thus by induction the future will continue to be like the past? But why should you trust induction? Is it because in the past induction has been trustworthy and thus you expect it will continue to be trustworthy in the future? Well, why do you expect the future to be like the past?
- timwiseman 16y ago
  But I often do the same thing repeatedly fully expecting different results because in between the state/context has changed...
- aamar 16y ago
  I think this was a joke, but I hope no one has ever made any assessment or decision of any sort on the basis of this quip (incidentally, not Einstein's[1]). This, of course, is not the definition of insanity, nor is it a remotely good proxy. Doing things over and over again -- whether chopping at that tree or going to the gym or working on a difficult problem -- should absolutely yield different results. All actions accumulate, some more than others. [1] http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rita_Mae_Brown http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rita_Mae_Brown
  - light3 16y ago
    I always thought of the 'different result' as meaning improvement, and the action in repetition as being suboptimal. Thereby no matter how much you practice you will be at best improving sub-optimally. This makes particular sense when you're practicing a musical instrument, bad habits will be more and more engraved as you repeat more. The best instrument players are those who have been taught or self-discovered good ways to improve, and put in the hard practice/repetition.
gordonbowman 16y ago
Great post Ryan. Curious, do you think it would be more helpful to repeat statements like these or questions that make you think? In other words, which of these repeated daily would have more of an effect on self discipline: “Today, I will multiply my value a hundredfold." vs. "What am I doing today to multiply my value by a hundredfold?"
- jakerocheleau 16y ago
  I think the latter is a more advanced form of the original. The first is just a statement. The 2nd assumes the statement to already be true, you're just examining the possibilities of how to manifest it's "trueness".. for lack of a better word.
  - gordonbowman 16y ago
    I would agree. It begins to make one think of the "how" behind it.
stiggz 16y ago
He racky disriprine
phugoid 16y ago
My grandfathers managed to get their work done, all of it, without chanting mantras on a schedule. One of them was a farmer and part-time blacksmith, the other a cod fisherman.
- ryanwaggoner 16y ago
  Are you sure?
- Evgeny 16y ago
  May have something to do with starving if the job was not done. Quite a strong motivator. Not sure if it's a good thing or not, but not many of us will literally starve if we do not get some of our job done, so being sloppy does not have severe negative consequences.
  - phugoid 16y ago
    That's exactly what I was shooting at. I realize that my occasional apathy is a great luxury that my grandparents didn't have. I find inspiration in knowing that I am a stone's throw away from real hardship.
jcw 16y ago
The Greatest Salesman in the World is still being published, I have a copy sitting on my bookshelf right now. It was a gift, and I never read it. If anyone knows, what are the difference between the two?
JanezStupar 16y ago
It seems like a "poor man's" or lazy guy's autogenic training. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autogenic_training http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autogenic_training Did it for quite awhile. And I got great results, amongst them: lucid dreaming, increased focus, reduced anxiety. I used to race downhill bikes at the time - and autogenic training combined with autosuggesty actually helped me reach previously inconceivable levels of performance. What the book and the article gets wrong (and probably most people who are trying it) is the time frame in which you perform your training. You absolutely must not think in past or future tense. Form the mantra in present - it doesn't matter if the statements don't sound right. Present yourself with affirmative thoughts and you will get considerably confident and motivated about your goals. Before races I would repeat in my mind(speaking or murmuring is even better): I am well trained. I am well prepared for the task ahead of me. I know the track. I am calm. My heart rate is low. I am a champion. On this track I am the dog to beat. - while visualizing the track and breathing slowly. You see I learned this while suffering grave lack of self esteem due to insane levels of preparation and training that left me lacking any considerable results. I also suffered due to lack of acknowledgement of my skill from other riders. And then I came across this writing that proposed that Ego does need to get stroked and patted for confidence. BUT that it is not necessary for other people to do it, any kind of encouragement works - even self induced. This is a case where build it and they will come actually works.
- jacquesm 16y ago
  > and autogenic training combined with autosuggesty actually helped me reach previously inconceivable levels of performance. You keep using that word 'inconceivable', I don't think you understand what it means ;) Why was it inconceivable that you could achieve such levels of performance if you then actually went about and achieved them ?
  - JanezStupar 16y ago
    When you have low self esteem the only thing you know is that you can't do shit, you may work as hard as you want. Like Henry Ford said: "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right." So I just wanted to say that for me, using a psychological tool (a hack if you will) really worked.
abp 16y ago
Should i say: http://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Thinking-Learning-Refactor-Programmers/dp/1934356050/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290629778&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Thinking-Learning-Refactor-P... The book: http://pragprog.com/titles/ahptl/pragmatic-thinking-and-learning http://pragprog.com/titles/ahptl/pragmatic-thinking-and-lear... A mindmap that describes the contents pretty well: http://media.pragprog.com/titles/ahptl/MindMapWeb.png http://media.pragprog.com/titles/ahptl/MindMapWeb.png The remainders of "The Greatest Secret in the World" replaced with exercices and pieces about being more aware of many essential skills. Through the exercises and losely coupled chapters, you can learn some core disciplines of the whole human race. Let me explain. It's like a manual for the simplest things in live like control about yourself, how the brain works, performance in any situation and so on. It makes a real difference for you, once you have understood and practiced for a while. But it is worth the effort. Books are like a stream of knowledge, when they are really packed to the smallest possible pieces of text. The first read through is an enjoyment of well written text and assembled graphics, tips and exercises. But when you work while you read it gets even better. Riding a bycycle is a pretty good metaphor on the whole thing. You need to learn how to ride a bike. So you need a bike. I assume you already have a brain, since you are reading this. Then you probably want to know how it works and evolves, in many details and exercises? One chapter. Go for it. It reads closely to the offense of structure of very well written code, but in human readable text. This is my opinion and i'd like to hear from others what they think, by all means. :)
diziet 16y ago
I just don't buy that saying something like: Henceforth, I will consider each day’s effort as but one blow of my blade against a mighty oak. The first blow may cause not a tremor in the wood, nor the second, nor the third. Each blow, of itself, may be trifling, and seem of no consequence. Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble. So it will be with my efforts of today. I will be liken to the rain drop which washes away the mountain; the ant who devours a tiger; the star which brightens the earth; the slave who builds a pyramid. I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking. is going to help me do anything but look silly. Maybe I'm just a pragmatic rationalist.
- ryanwaggoner 16y ago
  Maybe I'm just a pragmatic rationalist. Interesting that you chose the word pragmatic, since pragmatism says that an idea needs to be tested and found valid before considered true. I've done that to the best of my ability in my own life, while you're rejecting it out of hand, without testing or validation. As for rationalism, are you really convinced that it's irrational or unreasonable to believe that reading the same thing over and over will help reinforce it in your mind? Perhaps you're the type of person who can hear something once and immediately apply it to all relevant areas of your life, but I'm not. I know that I should just small steps towards a very challenging goal. I know that not giving up in the face of overwhelming adversity is important. I know that time is the most valuable resource I have. But those things are hard to remember in the thick of it, when my emotions are telling me to stop, give up, waste time. At the end of the day, you are a slave to your habits and your defined ways of thinking about yourself and the world around you. Better to be a slave to good habits and positive ways of thinking. Greatness is rarely achieved without a healthy dose of hubris about one's own abilities, ignorance about what is realistic, or both. Let's flip this around: what are you trying to accomplish with your life? And what's the biggest internal roadblock to you accomplishing it?
kadavy 16y ago
Does anyone know if there is a plugin for this HN upvote message? I love it: https://skitch.com/kadavy/rb5pk/hn-upvote https://skitch.com/kadavy/rb5pk/hn-upvote
mkrecny 16y ago
Maybe I'm a big softie, but does anyone else think that some of the images used in the excerpt are overly aggressive? "blow of my blade against a mighty oak" "the ant who devours a tiger" I'm not sure such images would inspire me.
gecko4 16y ago
Does anyone else find it a little obnoxious that ryan waggoner insists on posting every one of his blog posts on HN? If that's what I wanted, I'd just subscribe to his RSS feed.
- ryanwaggoner 16y ago
  First, I don't post all of my posts. It might seem that way because I blog every day, but out of the 21 or so blog posts that I published in November, I've submitted exactly four to HN. And only two have made the homepage. Second, if people don't find it useful or engaging, they'll stop upvoting it.
karlzt 16y ago
just put it on the pirate bay.
tygorius 16y ago
As much as I enjoy and have profited by reading Mandino's books, I have to point out that from a hacker perspective, there's a significant case of prior art in Benjamin Franklin's attempt to perfect his character by practicing each of 13 virtues for a week, cycling through them all four times over the course of a year. Not having computers, he used the technology of his time and made a chart to mark his progress. It's detailed in his autobiography and I would be greatly surprised if Mandino was unfamiliar with it. Googling "Benjamin Franklin virtue chart" will provide lots of discussion with anecdotes on the efficacy of the approach.
- avitous 16y ago
  Mandino specifically discusses Franklin's method in Chapter 3 of "The Greatest Secret In The World"; this is from the Kindle edition thereof, the only one of Mandino's books I've seen, so I don't know if earlier editions or Mandino's original book mentioned it.
khkwang 16y ago
Scroll I Today I begin a new life. Only principles endure and these I now possess..For what is success other than a state of mind? Which two, among a thousand wise men, will define success in the same words; yet failure is always described but one way. 'Failure is man’s inability to reach his goals in life, whatever they may be.' Scroll II I will greet this day with love in my heart. And how will I act? I will love all manners of men for each has qualities to be admired even though they be hidden. With love I will tear down the wall of suspicion and hate which they have built round their hearts and in its place will I build bridges so that love may enter their souls. Scroll III I will persist until I succeed. Nor will I allow yesterday’s success to lull me into today’s complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure. I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life. So long as there is breath in me, that long will I persist. For now I know one of the greatest principles of success; if I persist long enough, I will win. Scroll IV I am nature’s greatest miracle. Since the beginning of time never has there been another with my mind, my heart, my eyes, my ears, my hands, my hair, my mouth. None that come tomorrow can walk and talk and move and think exactly like me. All men are my brothers yet I am different from each. I am a unique creature. Scroll V I will live this day as if it is my last. And if it is my last, it will be my greatest monument. This day I will make the best day of my life. This day I will drink every minute to its full. I will savor its taste and give thanks. I will maketh every hour count and each minute I will trade only for something of value. Scroll VI Today I will be the master of my emotions. And how will I master my emotions so that every day is a happy day, and a productive one? I will learn this secret of the ages: Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his actions; strong is he who forces these actions to control his thoughts. Scroll VII I will laugh at the world. And with my laughter all things will be reduced to their proper size. I will laugh at my failures and they will vanish in could of new dreams; I will laugh at my successes and they will shrink to their true value. Scroll VIII Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold. One grain of wheat when multiplied a hundredfold will produce a hundred stalks. Multiply these a hundredfold, ten times, and they will feed all the cities of the earth. Am I not more than a grain of wheat? Scroll IX I will act now. My procrastination which has held me back was born of fear and now I recognize this secret mined from the depths of all courageous hearts. Now I know that to conquer fear I must always act without hesitation and the flutters in my heart will vanish. Now I know that action reduces the lion of terror to an ant of equanimity. Scroll X Guidance. Never will I pray for the material things of the world…only guidance will I pray, that I may be shown the way to acquire these things, and my prayer will always be answered. --- From wikipedia.

253 points by ryanwaggoner 16y ago

amih 16y ago

I'm not religious but this seems like prayer, where you repeat with similar frequency some ideas. Unlike established religion, here you can pick the subject you want to transfer to your mind as new habits of thought. Nice! I will check this book.

pbhjpbhj 16y ago
Christian prayer is usually non-repetitive. However I know in other religions (Islam say) that prayer is more often strictly formalised. I guess if you used the Book of Common Prayer or something then it would work for Anglicans too. More like meditation, it made me think of Ps119:97+ or the last para of Phillipians; or indeed any of multiple places where the Bible reader is encouraged to meditate on scripture and hold it in their hearts (or indeed as the Jews act out "pin it to your forehead").
- mildweed 16y ago
  There are a lot of good motivational/business advice passages in the Bible, I'd be interested to see if somebody's assembled all of those into a collection.
  - mmavnn 16y ago
    A lot of them are already conveniently gathered in the book of Proverbs (see my comment above)
  - b_emery 16y ago
    This was done, by no less than Thomas Jefferson: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible resulting in a 46 page bible.
bincat 16y ago
Mormons also have their requirement to read Book of Mormon and pray daily. I'd caution to be really careful what information one chooses to reprogram their mind in that manner. You may end up believing or living by ideas that have no bearing on reality.

ryanwaggoner 16y ago

I hesitated before submitting this here, because motivational / self-improvement stuff is a hard sell with the HN crowd (and for good reason). However, I've found it very helpful, and thought someone else here might as well. We all like to read deep, technical things that make us smarter and more knowledgeable, but it turns out that most people fail not because they're not smart enough or knowledgeable enough, but because they lack the discipline and drive to match their goals and ambitions.

eru 16y ago
How about writing your own mantras and them repeating on the book's schedule?
- ryanwaggoner 16y ago
  I agree that this could be a really effective approach, and I did consider it, particularly because I'm a Christian and I spent more time reading this book than I do reading my Bible :) Actually, you've just given me an idea; I'm going to put together something like this for hackers and founders. Come to think of it, that's a little of what we're doing at http://hn.21times.org http://hn.21times.org, though the articles are too long for this kind of repetitive reading. Any suggestions?
  - mmavnn 16y ago
    Proverbs. It conveniently has 31 chapters (one for each day of the month) and is full of useful... well, proverbs. The mix of the painfully down to earth and strongly God centred is helpful sometimes as well. Edit: this isn't so much a suggestion to founders/hackers in general, more to the Christian ones given your comment above. Plenty of good stuff in there for everyone, though.
  - ssing 16y ago
    These are some of my positive mantras I got from a book that had been very helpful. Replace "I have to" with "I choose to" "I must finish" with "When can I start" "This is so big" with "I can take a small step" "I must be perfect" with "I can be human" "I don't have time to play" with "I must take time to play"

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

x0ner 16y ago

I can only imagine that if you are writing a post about the book that you did in fact read the passages as recommended. I personally am curious however if you ever reached a point of skimming? I am not sure if I could see the benefit in re-reading the same thing over and over. Yes, it instills the point their trying to make, but at what point is it overkill? Not to discredit it, but it reminds me of the whole process people with anxiety take to calm themselves down..."It will all be fine", "I am ok", "Things are out of my control", etc.

Alleyfield 16y ago

Why couldn't I just make a little book for myself that would include inspirational quotes from my own personal heroes and just read them out aloud them every day? I mean seriously... That example scroll just seemed kinda tootsy wootsy, some might even say "gay", like in a harry-potter-fantasy-world kind of way.

ryanwaggoner 16y ago
You could. And probably should. I've thought about doing that myself, as I have no shortage of quotes and inspirational passages that I have collected from my readings over the years. But this book was a good place to start, and while corny, I found the message to be solid. Hey, this might do absolutely nothing for you, which is fine. Like I said, I found it helpful and I perceive a difference in my attitudes and behaviors after spending a year with this book. But that's just me.
- Alleyfield 16y ago
  I already have one. :) I didn't question whether this book has worked for you or not, it's good if it has and more power to you. It's about the reader's own attitude towards it. If you really believe in those passages (which, based on the passage, seem to be written like horoscopes) then of course they're going to work for you. Just like horoscopes magically seem to work into every situation. In my humble honest opinion, advice like "I will persist until I succeed" just creates train wrecks. Especially when repeated 75 times in a month. I also believe that self help books like this one tend to cloud the reader's judgement and inflate their egos - which is not nice.
mike-cardwell 16y ago
But then he wouldn't get the Amazon affiliate revenue :(
- ryanwaggoner 16y ago
  Yeah, that $0.48 commission is why I spent a year reading this book three times a day. You caught me.

joseacta 16y ago

The repeating of the sentences every day has to do with your subconscious mind. Repeating it will record these words in your brain and with time your thinking will change along. If you read it once, probably tomorrow you won't remember what it said.

joakin 16y ago

I would seriously consider acquiring an audio version

eru 16y ago
Or make your own.

shadowsun7 16y ago

Remind me: why is this on the frontpage of HN, again?

eru 16y ago
Because there are loads of slackers reading HN, who'd like to change. Now go back to work!

edw519 16y ago

Reasons to not buy the book: 1. I am a scientist. This sure doesn't seem like science to me. Reasons to buy the book: 1. I am too ignorant to be pessimistic. 2. The source of the suggestion. Ryan's judgement usually seems pretty sound. Two reasons are better than one. Just bought the book. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday. I'll start on Monday.

ryanwaggoner 16y ago
Ha! I'm flattered; hope it works for you. On the science question, I'd be interested to read more about the science of motivation. It seems intuitive that reading the same thing over and over would tend to reinforce it in your mind. Isn't that the basis for propaganda and brainwashing in general? However, intuition and science are often orthogonal, so some hard data would be interesting.
- revorad 16y ago
  The brainiacs at LessWrong have been thinking, discussing and arguing about akrasia for a long time - http://lesswrong.com/tag/akrasia/ http://lesswrong.com/tag/akrasia/. You will find some references to scientific studies and data there. Sounds like a very difficult nut to crack.
  - lionhearted 16y ago
    Regular LessWrong reader, infrequent LW contributor here. I think the problem with akrasia is it's a lot like "being sick" - if you call your physician on the phone and say, "I'm sick" he won't be able to really help you without further diagnosis. Seems like akrasia could be any one of a couple dozen things (fear of failure, fear of success, habit, chemical addiction, many more things). We're not at a point in anti-akrasia/rationality/motivation/etc to be able to accurately diagnose and treat all of the causes of it. I think we'll get there, though. Someday. Quite a ways off. But progress is being made. In the meantime, I'll second Ryan's recommendation for the book. It's good.

bh42 16y ago

There was a study which pointed out that this only works if you have self confidence, then you can brainwash yourself with affirmations like those. But if you are insecure, then affirmations actually make you worse of because it is like poking your vicious inner self-critic with a stick. I'd love to cite the study but my google-fu fails me today.

jkkramer 16y ago
http://www.economist.com/node/13815141?story_id=13815141 http://www.economist.com/node/13815141?story_id=13815141 http://www.psychologicalscience.org/media/releases/2009/wood.cfm http://www.psychologicalscience.org/media/releases/2009/wood...

johnohara 16y ago

I reject the term 'brainwash' and choose instead to replace it with 'creative visualization.' A technique familiar to most serious athletes and the rationale behind the word 'training.' The thinking is simple: Visualize your goal in full detail before you actually create it. Edwin Moses' '13 steps' rule is a perfect example. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Moses http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Moses In this regard, it's not that far from 'The Law of Attraction.' Through discipline, hard work, patience, and confidence, the goal approaches you as you approach it.

u48998 16y ago

The black Friday bug seems to have hit HN. Two purchasing suggestions in two days with loads of social comments (making it enticing of course). So why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?

trickjarrett 16y ago
Give it time, soon Thanksgiving will become an artifact of a holiday with a small loyal following and Black Friday will become the real holiday.
arethuza 16y ago
So you chaps really do celebrate Thanksgiving - I thought it was just a plot element in sitcoms...
- space-monkey 16y ago
  Well, if by "celebrate" you mean "eat a lot of food", then yes!
eru 16y ago
Who's we? I don't.

EdiX 16y ago

Read this sentence three times a day for five weeks: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

samd 16y ago
Why is that insanity? Is it because you expect that the future will be like the past and thus continuing to do the same thing that you've been doing will produce the same results? Well, why do you think the future will be like the past? Is it because, in the past, the future was always like the past, and thus by induction the future will continue to be like the past? But why should you trust induction? Is it because in the past induction has been trustworthy and thus you expect it will continue to be trustworthy in the future? Well, why do you expect the future to be like the past?
timwiseman 16y ago
But I often do the same thing repeatedly fully expecting different results because in between the state/context has changed...
aamar 16y ago
I think this was a joke, but I hope no one has ever made any assessment or decision of any sort on the basis of this quip (incidentally, not Einstein's[1]). This, of course, is not the definition of insanity, nor is it a remotely good proxy. Doing things over and over again -- whether chopping at that tree or going to the gym or working on a difficult problem -- should absolutely yield different results. All actions accumulate, some more than others. [1] http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rita_Mae_Brown http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rita_Mae_Brown
- light3 16y ago
  I always thought of the 'different result' as meaning improvement, and the action in repetition as being suboptimal. Thereby no matter how much you practice you will be at best improving sub-optimally. This makes particular sense when you're practicing a musical instrument, bad habits will be more and more engraved as you repeat more. The best instrument players are those who have been taught or self-discovered good ways to improve, and put in the hard practice/repetition.

gordonbowman 16y ago

Great post Ryan. Curious, do you think it would be more helpful to repeat statements like these or questions that make you think? In other words, which of these repeated daily would have more of an effect on self discipline: “Today, I will multiply my value a hundredfold." vs. "What am I doing today to multiply my value by a hundredfold?"

jakerocheleau 16y ago
I think the latter is a more advanced form of the original. The first is just a statement. The 2nd assumes the statement to already be true, you're just examining the possibilities of how to manifest it's "trueness".. for lack of a better word.
- gordonbowman 16y ago
  I would agree. It begins to make one think of the "how" behind it.

stiggz 16y ago

He racky disriprine

phugoid 16y ago

My grandfathers managed to get their work done, all of it, without chanting mantras on a schedule. One of them was a farmer and part-time blacksmith, the other a cod fisherman.

ryanwaggoner 16y ago
Are you sure?
Evgeny 16y ago
May have something to do with starving if the job was not done. Quite a strong motivator. Not sure if it's a good thing or not, but not many of us will literally starve if we do not get some of our job done, so being sloppy does not have severe negative consequences.
- phugoid 16y ago
  That's exactly what I was shooting at. I realize that my occasional apathy is a great luxury that my grandparents didn't have. I find inspiration in knowing that I am a stone's throw away from real hardship.

jcw 16y ago

The Greatest Salesman in the World is still being published, I have a copy sitting on my bookshelf right now. It was a gift, and I never read it. If anyone knows, what are the difference between the two?

JanezStupar 16y ago

It seems like a "poor man's" or lazy guy's autogenic training. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autogenic_training http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autogenic_training Did it for quite awhile. And I got great results, amongst them: lucid dreaming, increased focus, reduced anxiety. I used to race downhill bikes at the time - and autogenic training combined with autosuggesty actually helped me reach previously inconceivable levels of performance. What the book and the article gets wrong (and probably most people who are trying it) is the time frame in which you perform your training. You absolutely must not think in past or future tense. Form the mantra in present - it doesn't matter if the statements don't sound right. Present yourself with affirmative thoughts and you will get considerably confident and motivated about your goals. Before races I would repeat in my mind(speaking or murmuring is even better): I am well trained. I am well prepared for the task ahead of me. I know the track. I am calm. My heart rate is low. I am a champion. On this track I am the dog to beat. - while visualizing the track and breathing slowly. You see I learned this while suffering grave lack of self esteem due to insane levels of preparation and training that left me lacking any considerable results. I also suffered due to lack of acknowledgement of my skill from other riders. And then I came across this writing that proposed that Ego does need to get stroked and patted for confidence. BUT that it is not necessary for other people to do it, any kind of encouragement works - even self induced. This is a case where build it and they will come actually works.

jacquesm 16y ago
> and autogenic training combined with autosuggesty actually helped me reach previously inconceivable levels of performance. You keep using that word 'inconceivable', I don't think you understand what it means ;) Why was it inconceivable that you could achieve such levels of performance if you then actually went about and achieved them ?
- JanezStupar 16y ago
  When you have low self esteem the only thing you know is that you can't do shit, you may work as hard as you want. Like Henry Ford said: "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right." So I just wanted to say that for me, using a psychological tool (a hack if you will) really worked.

abp 16y ago

Should i say: http://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Thinking-Learning-Refactor-Programmers/dp/1934356050/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290629778&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Thinking-Learning-Refactor-P... The book: http://pragprog.com/titles/ahptl/pragmatic-thinking-and-learning http://pragprog.com/titles/ahptl/pragmatic-thinking-and-lear... A mindmap that describes the contents pretty well: http://media.pragprog.com/titles/ahptl/MindMapWeb.png http://media.pragprog.com/titles/ahptl/MindMapWeb.png The remainders of "The Greatest Secret in the World" replaced with exercices and pieces about being more aware of many essential skills. Through the exercises and losely coupled chapters, you can learn some core disciplines of the whole human race. Let me explain. It's like a manual for the simplest things in live like control about yourself, how the brain works, performance in any situation and so on. It makes a real difference for you, once you have understood and practiced for a while. But it is worth the effort. Books are like a stream of knowledge, when they are really packed to the smallest possible pieces of text. The first read through is an enjoyment of well written text and assembled graphics, tips and exercises. But when you work while you read it gets even better. Riding a bycycle is a pretty good metaphor on the whole thing. You need to learn how to ride a bike. So you need a bike. I assume you already have a brain, since you are reading this. Then you probably want to know how it works and evolves, in many details and exercises? One chapter. Go for it. It reads closely to the offense of structure of very well written code, but in human readable text. This is my opinion and i'd like to hear from others what they think, by all means. :)

diziet 16y ago

I just don't buy that saying something like: Henceforth, I will consider each day’s effort as but one blow of my blade against a mighty oak. The first blow may cause not a tremor in the wood, nor the second, nor the third. Each blow, of itself, may be trifling, and seem of no consequence. Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble. So it will be with my efforts of today. I will be liken to the rain drop which washes away the mountain; the ant who devours a tiger; the star which brightens the earth; the slave who builds a pyramid. I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking. is going to help me do anything but look silly. Maybe I'm just a pragmatic rationalist.

ryanwaggoner 16y ago
Maybe I'm just a pragmatic rationalist. Interesting that you chose the word pragmatic, since pragmatism says that an idea needs to be tested and found valid before considered true. I've done that to the best of my ability in my own life, while you're rejecting it out of hand, without testing or validation. As for rationalism, are you really convinced that it's irrational or unreasonable to believe that reading the same thing over and over will help reinforce it in your mind? Perhaps you're the type of person who can hear something once and immediately apply it to all relevant areas of your life, but I'm not. I know that I should just small steps towards a very challenging goal. I know that not giving up in the face of overwhelming adversity is important. I know that time is the most valuable resource I have. But those things are hard to remember in the thick of it, when my emotions are telling me to stop, give up, waste time. At the end of the day, you are a slave to your habits and your defined ways of thinking about yourself and the world around you. Better to be a slave to good habits and positive ways of thinking. Greatness is rarely achieved without a healthy dose of hubris about one's own abilities, ignorance about what is realistic, or both. Let's flip this around: what are you trying to accomplish with your life? And what's the biggest internal roadblock to you accomplishing it?

kadavy 16y ago

Does anyone know if there is a plugin for this HN upvote message? I love it: https://skitch.com/kadavy/rb5pk/hn-upvote https://skitch.com/kadavy/rb5pk/hn-upvote

mkrecny 16y ago

Maybe I'm a big softie, but does anyone else think that some of the images used in the excerpt are overly aggressive? "blow of my blade against a mighty oak" "the ant who devours a tiger" I'm not sure such images would inspire me.

gecko4 16y ago

Does anyone else find it a little obnoxious that ryan waggoner insists on posting every one of his blog posts on HN? If that's what I wanted, I'd just subscribe to his RSS feed.

ryanwaggoner 16y ago
First, I don't post all of my posts. It might seem that way because I blog every day, but out of the 21 or so blog posts that I published in November, I've submitted exactly four to HN. And only two have made the homepage. Second, if people don't find it useful or engaging, they'll stop upvoting it.

karlzt 16y ago

just put it on the pirate bay.

tygorius 16y ago

As much as I enjoy and have profited by reading Mandino's books, I have to point out that from a hacker perspective, there's a significant case of prior art in Benjamin Franklin's attempt to perfect his character by practicing each of 13 virtues for a week, cycling through them all four times over the course of a year. Not having computers, he used the technology of his time and made a chart to mark his progress. It's detailed in his autobiography and I would be greatly surprised if Mandino was unfamiliar with it. Googling "Benjamin Franklin virtue chart" will provide lots of discussion with anecdotes on the efficacy of the approach.

avitous 16y ago
Mandino specifically discusses Franklin's method in Chapter 3 of "The Greatest Secret In The World"; this is from the Kindle edition thereof, the only one of Mandino's books I've seen, so I don't know if earlier editions or Mandino's original book mentioned it.

khkwang 16y ago

Scroll I Today I begin a new life. Only principles endure and these I now possess..For what is success other than a state of mind? Which two, among a thousand wise men, will define success in the same words; yet failure is always described but one way. 'Failure is man’s inability to reach his goals in life, whatever they may be.' Scroll II I will greet this day with love in my heart. And how will I act? I will love all manners of men for each has qualities to be admired even though they be hidden. With love I will tear down the wall of suspicion and hate which they have built round their hearts and in its place will I build bridges so that love may enter their souls. Scroll III I will persist until I succeed. Nor will I allow yesterday’s success to lull me into today’s complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure. I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life. So long as there is breath in me, that long will I persist. For now I know one of the greatest principles of success; if I persist long enough, I will win. Scroll IV I am nature’s greatest miracle. Since the beginning of time never has there been another with my mind, my heart, my eyes, my ears, my hands, my hair, my mouth. None that come tomorrow can walk and talk and move and think exactly like me. All men are my brothers yet I am different from each. I am a unique creature. Scroll V I will live this day as if it is my last. And if it is my last, it will be my greatest monument. This day I will make the best day of my life. This day I will drink every minute to its full. I will savor its taste and give thanks. I will maketh every hour count and each minute I will trade only for something of value. Scroll VI Today I will be the master of my emotions. And how will I master my emotions so that every day is a happy day, and a productive one? I will learn this secret of the ages: Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his actions; strong is he who forces these actions to control his thoughts. Scroll VII I will laugh at the world. And with my laughter all things will be reduced to their proper size. I will laugh at my failures and they will vanish in could of new dreams; I will laugh at my successes and they will shrink to their true value. Scroll VIII Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold. One grain of wheat when multiplied a hundredfold will produce a hundred stalks. Multiply these a hundredfold, ten times, and they will feed all the cities of the earth. Am I not more than a grain of wheat? Scroll IX I will act now. My procrastination which has held me back was born of fear and now I recognize this secret mined from the depths of all courageous hearts. Now I know that to conquer fear I must always act without hesitation and the flutters in my heart will vanish. Now I know that action reduces the lion of terror to an ant of equanimity. Scroll X Guidance. Never will I pray for the material things of the world…only guidance will I pray, that I may be shown the way to acquire these things, and my prayer will always be answered. --- From wikipedia.