How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything
Post 41 - The danger of giving in to internal rationalization
This wasn’t going to be today’s blog post. I was writing about something else when frustration kicked in. I decided to scrap it and decided I needed to take the weekend off. I would have allowed this because I do need a break from writing and YouTube.
However, as extreme as it seems, acting on impulses is a dangerous business. If I let myself stop writing halfway through a blog post, it will be rewarded by the brain through a boost of dopamine.
I have permitted myself to quit not just today but also in the future and I’ve rewarded myself for it. That’s a dangerous path to go down. Your mind is a sensitive piece of machinery. The literature is very clear on the verdict that every single thing you say and do and think and believe is reinforced by dopaminergic reward systems.
It is repeatedly made clear to me that how you do anything is how you do everything. The urge to do a little bit more of said action is the greatest once you’ve already caved in and indulged a little bit. “I’ve already had a piece of cake, might as well buy some chips and enjoy a movie marathon. The gym can wait. I promise I’ll go tomorrow.’ Do you go to the gym tomorrow? Personally, no. I often fall prey to this rationalization.
If you want to do something difficult, your brain will come up with something hard but not as hard as what you first set out to do. If discipline is a priority in your life, DO NOT GIVE IN. See the hard task through.
These internal arguments when they win, they get a kick of dopamine, and because they get a nice dose of the most potent feel-good chemical, your brain wants more. These internal arguments get reinforced.
Whatever you let win grows. Whatever you defeat shrinks. How you do anything is how you do everything.