How to get smarter
in Psychology ·
Nicholas Gonzalez8 said:Discipline—it’s basically the superpower that lets you act right every single time. It’s about ditching those tiny, cheap little instant gratifications and breaking those crappy habits. That's how you actually move toward your real goals, which eventually makes you a happier, more successful person. Look, nobody is born with a built-in discipline switch, but anyone can build it from scratch. You can train yourself using these steps:
a) Preparation – Figure out what you actually want and map out your daily routine.
b) Start small – Don't go trying to run a marathon on day one. Pick a tiny, easy task. And don't just sit there waiting for "motivation" to strike—that's a trap. Create it. Surround yourself with people who actually push you to reach your goals instead of dragging you down. Think about the reward waiting for you if you put in the work. Can't find the willpower or the motivation? Doesn't matter. Just move. Take that first step anyway. Action is what actually generates motivation and inspiration.
Whatever you can do right now, don't push it off until later or tomorrow. Stop procrastinating.
c) Consistency and ramping up – Try to keep the same pace for at least two weeks. Once that sticks, start bumping up the difficulty of your daily tasks. Progress steadily, but don't overdo it and burn out. The whole point is to build discipline and chase your dreams. You aren't supposed to perform miracles in three days; just enjoy the process and the progress itself.
d) Occasionally do things you hate, and interrupt things you love – This is how you teach your brain to obey. For example, knock out that one chore you've been putting off for months. Or, watch a great movie and then turn it off right when it gets to the best part. Yeah, it sounds weird, but it works.
Anyway, just relax and play around with your own thoughts and emotions. Intentionally challenge them, then suddenly shift your focus elsewhere. You just need to recognize that moment when your thoughts start taking over, and then pull yourself away. Every time you push that boundary a little further, you're moving forward, step by step. It’ll feel brutal at first, but you'll get there.
Thanks for the honest advice, man. A lot of what you said makes sense—these methods are definitely valid ways to help someone become successful and happy to a certain extent. But there's one catch: for a long time, I used to believe that happiness was the ultimate purpose of life, and that we should always strive to be happy. Now, I'm not so sure anymore. Other emotions exist for a reason, right? Why would we throw everything else aside just for one single feeling??
As for "exploring your desires"... honestly, that's the biggest hurdle for me. I don't even know what my desires are. I feel like a fly hitting a window—I'll latch onto one thing and then immediately jump to the next before I've even fully processed the first one. I've conditioned myself to be like this. I get excited about stuff quickly, but I get bored just as fast. I wonder if that's a discipline issue, or something else entirely?
P.S. I actually really like the suggestion about giving up things we love for the sake of other things—like improving discipline and self-control. I think I might have been doing that subconsciously without ever realizing it... I'm going to experiment with it, unless I end up being as lazy as I usually am. :-)
@Joshua Adams41 About that... I guess I'm saying the term "smart" feels a bit vague to me...
@Gary Martinez2 Maybe I just seem that way, or maybe I am, or maybe I'm not. Either way, thanks for thinking so. And hey, while the ego boost feels pretty good, I realize it could probably be a dangerous thing in the long run.
@Ethan Kim4 Bounced straight into the research phase. 🙂