>On Wed, 9 Jul 1997, Frederick wrote: >> 4. Develop the discipline to do what you discover >> works best for you. At 01:43 PM 7/10/97 -0600, Trish Pottersmith wrote: >Thank you for this interesting post. IMO #4 is >the big key. I've got tons of knowledge about what works >best but am lacking in the discipline department. This >is probably my #1 weakness/problem in life. Can you say >more about how you have done this for yourself? From >what you say you strike me as someone who is very self- >disciplined. Were you always like this? I tend to >be able to maintain a certain level of discipline for >about 4 months and then I end up going wild in the >other direction (raw vs. cooked, regular exercise vs. >lethargy). The positive side is that I do keep trying. Yes, I'm highly self-disciplined regarding diet -- and I have more work to do in some other areas! One of the things I believe has greatly improved my self-discipline is running. I would run about 3 miles away from home at a pace such that at the end up the 3 miles I was very tired. Then I would "force" myself to run back home in less time than the "away" run. This develops willpower -- getting into the habit of pushing my body beyond its apparent limits. When running up the mountain, I often run the first third so fast that I feel I can't possibly continue. Then I push myself to continue as fast as I can the rest of the way. No matter how exhausted I am, I also push myself to complete the final 20 or 30 yards with a finishing burst of speed. Another exercise to improve self-discipline is to write a list of things to do every day and to then *do* them. (I used to be a great procrastinator. I even have several books on how to stop procrastinating. I started reading one of them but never finished! The others I haven't even started reading!) You could also take a look at things you fear doing. For example, if you fear public speaking, join Toastmasters and learn to overcome your fear. The experience of doing some things in the face of your resistance can serve as a model for developing the ability to generally do what you need to. In my own case, I've developed certain practices to the point that they've become "unbreakable habits." It has become "unthinkable" for me to eat anything cooked. Regarding exercise, I've also from time to time "dropped out" for a while. Recently I decided that achieving immortality is the most important issue for me. That elevates the importance of exercise and provides the motivation to persist and persevere to the point that my exercise routines become "unbreakable habits." Regarding diet, certain social skills are useful in preventing others from persuading you to deviate. I tell people I'm an "anopsophilliac" -- someone who's allergic to cooked and prepared food, and has to eat raw food. This doesn't threaten anyone or imply that there's something wrong with their diet. In a restaurant I tell the waiter that I have a medical condition -- I'm an anopsophilliac -- and I have to eat raw, unprepared food -- do they mind if I eat my own food (which I've brought along in a plastic bag or even a cooler)? I've done this in many restaurants in several countries. Nobody has ever refused. (I've also had some success in getting restaurants to serve me raw, unprepared food, including raw meat.) In general, it's important to realize that, in evolutionary terms, human consciousness is in its infancy. We are only beginning to learn how to use our minds. Compared to the level at which most of us will use our minds in, say 50 years, most uf us currently operate at a somewhat primitive level. Many of us suffer from deficient thinking skills. For example, we sometimes take nonoptimum actions, then afterwards we concoct irrational "reasons" as "justifications." (Our parents may have helped develop this pattern by asking, "Why did you do that?" then forcing us to give "reasons.") Many of us have little awareness of how we go about making decisions. Sometimes we react like puppets on a string, rather than making conscious, considered, calculated responses. For example, some people on mailing lists get into "fights" -- sometimes acrimonious -- throwing emotions at one another, and ending up with enmity being the only result. I used to fall prey to this pattern. Now I evaluate each message. The first decision is whether I should ignore or respond. If I can't find a way of responding positively and usefully, I ignore. If I receive a negative message, I look for something in the message I can positively respond to. I may respond to one or more parts, and just ignore all the rest. Developing the ability to consciously, deliberately respond -- or not respond at all -- to situations in a calculated manner is an important aspect of developing self-discipline. Maybe the most important! Death to spontaneity! Frederick Mann