You versus you

There’s what we often think of as getting uncomfortable in the pursuit of goals, and then there’s actually getting uncomfortable in order to more effectively pursue our goals.

Every Sunday I run until my lungs hate me. While the run itself is uncomfortable, the act of getting out of bed to do it is a habit at this point — I do not have to think about it or negotiate with myself about doing it.

In contrast, I’ve been postponing building a website for the last 6 months. The act of building is not a habit yet — I’d sooner default to YouTube than WordPress. That is the truth today.

Changing habits is a monolith of an undertaking that is often underestimated.

It requires you to first be self-aware about any aversions or habits preventing you from making progress. Once self-aware, you need to be able to say “yes” even though a large part of you is saying “no”, which can be uncomfortable in a kind of fundamental, all-encompassing way.

Finding a high-leverage activity that will give you a high return on your energy is half the problem.

The second half is figuring out how to successfully commit yourself to it when your behavior suggests you haven’t yet.

Sometimes the key to marching closer to your goals is finding ways to effectively override your strong preferences getting in the way today.

It’s you versus you.