“Since habit is such a powerful influence, and we’re used to pursuing our impulses to gain and avoid outside our own choice, we should set a contrary habit against that, and where appearances are really slippery, use the counterforce of our training.” - Epictetus
We both know how easy it is to slip back into old habits- and sometimes not because they’re efficient, fun or fulfilling, but just because they’re awfully familiar. They’re comfortable grooves in the mind. You reach for your phone instead of your work, delay the task because you “don’t feel like it,” indulge the craving because it’s easier than restraint. What most people don’t understand is that these things feel natural only because you’ve practiced them for so long- it’s not because it’s who you are or because it’s right. This is just the brain’s way of making them easier to do the next time.
But it doesn’t have to stay that way. It’s not that you’re weak. Every bad habit has a cure. Every bad habit has a counter one waiting to be practiced. That’s the cure. Laziness and procrastination can be driven out by…
Join 74,650 other Stoics,
P.S: Annual & Patron members get all my books with their subscription. The bundle includes, ‘The Best of Marcus Aurelius’, ‘The Tools’, with over 40,000 words of bonus content + a free copy of ‘The Stoic Manual Vol. 1’ dropping next year. Patron members also get Lifetime Access to the publication, all bonuses, and all future benefits- at no extra cost. Featured,
