You know that quote that goes like, “Dance as if no one was watching…”? What if the key to self-improvement is the reverse of that? “Act as though someone was watching. Stay Stoic as though Marcus Aurelius was watching. Work consistently as though the world was your witness.”
Would you continue to act the same way if someone was watching you? Would you continue committing the same bad habits, losing your patience/temper, continue being lazy, stuffing yourself with junk? I wouldn’t – or I’d at least have second thoughts.
The bad habit I struggle with most is my patience and temper. Oftentimes, when things aren’t playing out how I’d like, I get frustrated and sometimes angry. In the past I’ve made poor choices, e.g. slammed cupboards, smacked a doorknob, and broke my smoothie cup. Immediately after the fact I regret it and realize how stupid it was.
That’s the thing though – I never do that shit when someone else is there. If I’m stressed at work, I don’t slam things or swear. If something frustrates me at home and someone is with me, I ask for help or walk away.
So how can you use this to quit your bad habits or stay consistent with your diet, goals, and passion projects? If you find some way to hold yourself accountable by having a witness, maybe you’ll more easily become the person you’d like to be.
Maybe that means recording yourself every time you break your diet, texting a friend whenever you commit a bad habit, putting a dollar in a jar when you lose your temper – anything that calls you out for going against what you want.
Create a system so you have someone witnessing your triumphs and inevitable failures. I’ve started posting Daily Consistency Check-Ins on tik tok as a way to stay consistent and do at least one thing for ETT every day. If you want me to be your witness, duet those videos or DM me to prove to someone else you’re doing something to progress.
Hold yourself accountable and if possible, have others hold you steady. Have some way of preventing bad habits from taking over and instead have productivity and healthy choices fill your days.
June 27, 2022
