We’ve all had those moments when we feel exhausted and just can’t do anymore. And can we? Or are we making excuses telling ourselves otherwise? Someone I’m close to challenged me to push back when my brain says it’s “tired.” It begs the question, are we seeking comfort, or can we honestly do no more? What’s interesting is that I tend to be most productive when I have a lot on my plate. I believe this occurs because our brain understands we have a lot to accomplish in a short period of time. Therefore, it prioritizes what we must do rather than what we want to do for the sake of efficiency. We often make excuses for procrastinating or avoiding certain actions because we desire so called “chill time.” I’m guilty of this as well, because after a long day of work all I want to do is come home and scroll social media, watch tv, or just chill out and relax. The dilemma though is that this so called “chill time” can become a priority in your brain when in fact it only provides temporary satisfaction. All of us have our own goals and aspirations but usually to accomplish those things it takes sacrifice in the short term for sustained gratification in the long term. The work you put in now leads to a better future but because of how easily accessible these dopamine rushes are, we’ve become content to avoid the “uncomfortable” sacrifices necessary to reach our true goals. We now wish to escape the responsibilities which were once considered normal life. I feel priorities have become skewed. Society has pushed the work hard until you retire agenda. This has led to this cycle of working tirelessly to get off and enjoy our “relaxing time,” hoping we return the next day recharged ready to do it all over again. But remember, we only live once! So, do the things you need to do to care for yourself and your loved ones, but when you get off and you’re feeling tired, remember this your time, waste it and you’re only hurting yourself. The double-edged sword is that you can train your brain to push through this tired feeling but unfortunately you will likely have to untrain the bad habits you’ve built up. Over time you’ve most likely told your brain that when you’re tired or exhausted that’s when I tap out. So now you are repeatedly going to have to challenge your brain to push through that. Well, how do I do that you ask? We’ve all been tired and had to suck it up to complete something because we had no choice. It’s likely we used caffeine as a crutch to push us over the edge or sacrificed a few hours of sleep. If we can do it once, then we can do it again. The dilemma here is that it’s not enough of a priority. Change your mindset, change your will power, change your life. Again, nothing is going to be easy but who wants easy? Are you content with binging television or scrolling social media because you fear the uncomfortable? Are you prepared to opt for the easy route at the expense of so much untapped potential? At the end of the day, it’s a constant battle in your head but win that battle and you’ll be light years ahead on your path to success.
The brain seeks comfort. But I can guarantee you that by pushing yourself to the point of failure or where you are no longer comfortable you will learn a lot more and a lot faster. Our brain uses defense mechanisms to avoid risk, it wants to keep us safe after all. Well in today’s world, aside from the dangerous act of driving every day we are fairly safe. So, these defense mechanisms are activating for minute things to keep us in the “safe zone” (comfortable). It doesn’t understand that these things we are pushing ourselves to do are for the betterment of our lives. Therefore, we need to push past this by any means necessary. Slowly, start to push yourself past what you thought you could do. Need to finish something but you’re exhausted and wish to nap, drink a coffee and do it. Over time your brain will establish a new comfort zone which can accomplish a hell of a lot more than you initially could. We have become so accustomed to seeking comfort that we desire easy street. But it’s a mirage, as I stated earlier, easy street sounds great now but, in the future, when you find yourself staring death in the eyes and you look back on your life, you’re going to wish you had pushed yourself to reach your true potential. I’ll end this article with a secret I’ve found. The busier you are, the more productive you become. You also start to become more efficient, and limit wasted time. Do it right and there comes a time when you find yourself in this state of being that is productive, efficient, and happy. It’s almost as if you’ve unlocked a cheat code. Because you are accomplishing what you need to while also being so regimented in your routine that you find yourself having free time to do as you wish anyway. The difference is that you can be proud of yourself knowing that you finished what you needed to and are one step closer to a better life. I hope you enjoyed this article. And remember, you can do more than you’re doing! You got this! Thank you for reading.
