Actions
“Desires create actions.”
It’s obvious, but true: the only reason you (intentionally) do something is because you have a desire.
Desire isn’t a motive for action; desire is the motive for action.
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Emotions
Desires use emotions to bring actions.
If something is relevant to a desire, the [[121 The Self#^adb20f|’unconscious’]] puts a good/bad label on it. Something that fulfills the desire is “good”, you feel good.
Desires inject emotions into preferences; like/not-like into love/hate. Love/hate is usually related to some desire.
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Why Do You Procrastinate?
It doesn’t make any sense when a person beats themselves for “not being disciplined” / “not having willpower”. A lack of action only means they simply didn’t want it enough / wanted something else more / were confused.
If you want, you do. If you don’t want, you don’t. Why suffer over not doing? You just didn’t want it!
(Desire without motivation is an oymoron)
People, having never examined themselves, have no idea what they truly want.
Too many desires. Unclear desire; confusion; paralysis.
Procrastination is a sign of “not knowing what you want”.
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Discipline, Willpower
Discipline is one desire powering over another.
Discipline an active suppression of desire. By another, stronger desire.
Willpower is simply how strong the strongest desire is relative to other desires. Willpower is discipline.
You go to the gym because your “desire for muscle” exceeds your “desire for comfort”. It’s as simple as that. You always choose what you want most. Desire is willpower.
Or, you can cheat the system by creating a habit of doing something even if you don’t feel like it.
The nature of discipline is desire-conflict. Discipline is a form of suffering.
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Desire Concentration
(In other words, prioritizing.)
In general, you want to minimize discipline—minimize suffering.
We often need to discipline ourselves due to false desires.1Things that we think we want, but don’t actually.
You can surely know if you truly wanted something when you get it. But, it’s too late then.
Instead, ask the “So what?” question.
Life doesn’t come with many true desires.
If you had 1 desire, you would never need to discipline yourself.
Withdraw all desires that don’t full your true desires.
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Anxiety From Inaction
Action relieves anxiety. Why?
Well, first, anxiety is a perceived (negative) consequence. So, action is a distraction from the perceptions.
Essentially:
The anxiety from inaction means there’s something you “should” be doing, but aren’t. (It’s a “should” because it’s (negatively) consequential.2If it’s positively consequential, you wouldn’t be anxious.) But, the reason you aren’t is that you don’t actually want to do it—there are conflicting desires (thus paralysis).3Desire against fear vs. Desire against activity(suffering)
But, almost certainly, that activity is never as bad as it seems. After you exercise/study/read/etc., you rarely think, “wow that was worse than I thought.”
Because your mind was busy imagining the activity.4Which is suffering on its own.The more you spent time thinking about it, the bigger headspace it took, and the more you got overwhelmed by5stronger desire againstthe activity.
The imaginations are hallucinations; they’re exaggerations.
Action exposes that.
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