Learning through laziness

Ah, laziness, a trigger word, a guilty pleasure, a label we tattoo on the glove that we beat ourselves up with. Lazy has become my favorite word because it's a title I've become very interested in over the past few years. Hustle culture is in full swing, so laziness would be considered a cardinal sin now. As someone who has been "lazy" and sometimes still feels like he is. There are definitely levels to laziness, and I wasn't the type that was doing nothing with his life. I responded to this phenomenon, the way I always do. I asked, why? Why leads to analysis, and as of 8:01 am, a download.

So laziness like everything else in life has its own definition and the definition people give it. The dictionary defines laziness as unwillingness to work or use energy. So that alone probably disqualifies a majority of you, myself included. So why do we call ourselves lazy and make so much fuss about it? Probably because most of us define laziness as not living up to the expectations you place on yourself or not living up to perceived potential. At least some variation of that. Here's the interesting thing though, any definition past what webster says comes from your perception. Where does that perception come from?

Millionaires may call themselves lazy because they are displaying the habits of average people. Average people may call themselves lazy because they don't behave like millionaires. Are you beginning to see the common theme? So unless you're literally not getting up to work or not expending energy. Nothing you do can be defined as lazy. So we are left with two roads to travel. We will explore them both. At the end of each, we will find a cure for what you call laziness!

The first road

People are unhappy with their current situation and label their inaction or inability to change it as laziness. Not only is this a misconception, but you're also punishing yourself for it. It's time for you to stop identifying who you are with the behavior of the physical body. When you stop identifying with the physical, you are able to look at certain obstacles with a level of detachment. This keeps you from beating yourself up. A common philosophy here at M3 is, we are not our bodies, but the awareness that controls the body. Your body is simply a vehicle. When your car gets a flat tire, needs an oil change, or needs a part replaced. You don't devalue or treat the car as if it's worthless. You understand it's simply a machine that needs to be repaired to perform at the level you desire it to.

Our bodies and car serve the same purpose. Vehicles that allow us to explore the world around us, to get from point A to B. However, we develop an intense attachment to our bodies because we've been taught to identify with them. So when you believe you're lazy. Understand that there is a part of your brain that is not functioning in a way that brings the results you desire. So detachment allows you to step back, look under the hood and ask what's going on.

Do I need to focus on the reward center of the brain? I need to sit and really analyze what type of chemicals my brain is releasing. You can tell how your brain is performing based on how you feel. Dopamine is associated with a happy chemical but it's actually the chemical that causes desire. The go-get-it chemical if you will. Once upon a time, our go-get-it chemical was simply about food, shelter, water, & a mate. In the modern era, countless things have been added to that list. With so many things on that list, you have a litany of things that reward you with no real benefit.

What if your environment was temporarily satisfying you to death? Spiritual death of course.

In theory, your brain can't focus on the task you want it to because the reward center is hooked on your cell phone, Netflix, Facebook, junk food, and all the little rewards that are robbing us of the joy we really seek. Since we're under the hood let me get technical for a second. The amygdala, for example, would contribute to our feeling of pleasure and happiness after eating tasty food. The nucleus accumbens connects to the hippocampus, a memory-related region that would aid in attributing memory and learning to the reward.

So, after eating tasty food, our hippocampus will assist us in remembering where the food came from and will remind us of how much we enjoyed it. As a result, all of these brain areas collaborate to urge the rewarding behaviors to be repeated. In short, your brain does a very good job at remembering each reward, how you got it, and after enough repetition. Behaves in a way that motivates you to continuously seek it out. No wonder you're frustrated, you wired your brain to seek out the wrong thing.

Now can you at least consider that you're not lazy? You're just a product of your environment and the quick rewards it gives you. Now you have the desire to change, congratulations! No seriously, take deep satisfaction in your dissatisfaction. If you didn't like it, there'd be no driving force to make you question it. So where do we go from here? Well as you can imagine, it's time to get your hands dirty. You are the mechanic after all. This process won't be easy. The good news is, you're dealing with a machine. The success rate is 100%.

Intentional Action + Faith + Willpower= Rewire.

This formula is your key to freedom and the roadmap to the life you desire.

Intentional Action

Repetition is the only thing that's going to rewire your brain. That means you have to repeat your desired action over a long period of time. If you're calling yourself lazy because you haven't achieved your fitness goal. That means your intentional action will be exercise on a planned & consistent basis. Results don't need to be the focus because they are the byproduct of consistency. This philosophy applies to whatever your goal is. Earning extra income, saving for a trip, or starting a new business.

Faith

Faith without works is dead but work without faith don't last long. The urge to see results happens. This part of the equation keeps you going when you naturally start to focus on results and not consistency. It's cool, we all do it. Faith is trust in your consistency. Trust that momentum will carry you to your desired result. No matter what part of the journey you are in. So stick to the plan no matter what.

Willpower

Make no mistake about it. Your brain is powerful. It will try to discourage you from certain actions because it wants to keep the same chemical habit. When you accept that you are not your body. That it is your vehicle, you also accept that you are in control. You are not the machine so the impulses of the machine can be denied. It will take an iron will to power through the days when your brain is throwing the kitchen sink at you. I would strongly consider getting an accountability partner.

Rewire

Once time and effort have done their thing. You arrive at the new result you envisioned. Your brain now associates reward with things that support your overall vision. This is flow state as the cool kids call it. The place where your brain works in harmony with you and pushes you in the right direction.

The second road

This road is straightforward. You aren't lazy, and your false perception comes from comparison. Take the examples from above. When you look at a millionaire and conclude that you are lazy because you don't behave the way they do. You set yourself up for a sinister loop that will tank your self-esteem. Social media may cause you to think otherwise but millions of dollars aren't the master key to life. I know the personas do a good job of convincing you of this. However, we could find plenty of stories where people got to that mountain top just to discover that wasn't the answer.

I say all that to remind you. Find YOUR path and walk it. The moment you remove everyone else's labels, interpretations, judgments, and "this is what you should do"you achieve clarity. No one will have a story like yours and the only way you can find out what that story is, is by leaving comparison behind.