Mountains move you; you don’t move them
The greatest seduction our ego places on us is the idea that we can move mountains by sheer force of will.
What do I mean by that?
We trick ourselves into believing that we can dismiss our environment, our schedules, our context and make changes. That it just takes us pushing through and “grinding it out.”
This idea is nonsense and a big reason why we fail when we promise.
Want an example?
How is your New Years resolution going?
The reason these things don’t change is that you aren’t thinking about the structure of your life, you are only thinking about the result.
We aren’t robots, so we don’t just follow commands. We are more like water, flowing by the structure around us.
When forced, water can get through anything.
Our “willpower” is perfect for that. In an emergency, we can pull an “all nighter” or run away from a monster.
When things are calm though, expect to fall back into the structure of your life. The rivers eventually recede after every flood.
The next time you make a change, take a moment to think about the structure of your life and that promise. I promise you your chance of success will rise.
From the desk of Adam Thomas 