As I was running the other day in the gym, I felt I wanted to quit before reaching the goal I had set for the day. My legs were tired, I was breathing hard, and I was hot and sweaty. But as I evaluated each of the these three factors in sequence I realized: my legs were not that tired; I was not exerting myself unduly; I was not all that hot. So the weak link in the chain was my mind. So of course I continued to run, ignoring some rather minor discomfort. Because if I had a weak mind, then that in and of itself was not going to stop me! I thought, because the mind itself isn't hot and sweaty and tired.
So what I thought of as the need to have an iron will is just the opposite. A strong mind is fully aware of its own weakness but doesn't let that weakness get in the way.
2 comments:
This is so true! It's not about willpower at all. Everything rises and falls on mental health or mental power, call it what you will.
Also, you cannot outwit your brain. You have to change the habit first, and then the cognitive benefit will result from that.
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