On vitamin N deficiency
As shared before, the rule #1 for self-discipline is to get enough vitamin N.
So, I've been observing my decision-making process very closely for the last weeks and, not surprisingly, I have a serious vitamin D deficiency!
Action shall be taken on this one as it goes beyond being more disciplined. Look. If you don't learn to say no to detrimental, worthless and/or low priority stuff in your life, there won't space for the good stuff to come in. It is as simple as that.
There are those rare events when something superbly wonderful happens to you, and then you realize there is no space for it in your life. Then, what? Well, either you make space or renounce to it.
Learning to say no is like a muscle to strengthen, to gradually grow. You have to say no to things you don't like or want or need, but also to things you do like or want, but that are not aligned with your long term goals.
Some examples that come to mind:
- You say no to certain activities to prioritize other activities (time is a limited resource).
- You say no to junk food to eat healthier (trade-off between short-term convenience/comfort and long-term health/longevity).
- You say no to your old views to allow yourself to see the world from a new perspective (some views cannot coexist, you need to choose one).
And so on, and so forth.
Of course, changes take time. If you eat junk food every day, it is unlikely you stop one day and change your diet completely (some people do that, I just think the majority can't, I can't). Similarly, you can't see the world with new eyes overnight, it is a process, it takes time and effort. Some people have a higher tolerance to changes, others have less.
(As a side note: Sometimes, there are drastic and sudden changed, I have experienced those a few times too, it is possible. But in general—and especially—intentional changes take time and conscious effort. Often, unexpected changes trigger a series of intentional changes.)
The bottom line is that there is limited space (physically and figuratively) in everyone's life, if you want some things in, others ought to be out.