Keywords:: PermanentNote makePublic
Reference::
If you want to change, you need stress. Why? Because stress triggers adaptation. When you stress, your body thinks "Oh shit something isn't working right, so I need to adapt to survive."
Thus, you must ignore your body's protests or at least listen less to them. Why? Because your body doesn't want to change—it wants to keep homeostasis.
Why doesn't it want to change? Because change costs energy and your body can't afford to risk wasting energy.
I know that you know that in the long-term you will actually save energy when you change (because for instance, you will be fitter or will be making more money) but your body doesn't know that. Your body isn't good at predicting the future—it lives in the now and the now is the only thing that counts. Besides, your rational mind—the one that knows that you'll save energy in the future—is just a servant to the emotional mind and to the body (more on that here: P: People judge mostly emotionally).
System 1 lives in the now, right? It's related to that, right? R: Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Therefore, if you want to change, you must temporarily ignore the signals of your body and just do it. Of course, your mind will try to prevent you from that—by creating excuses or making you feel tired—but you must ignore it.
Don't get discouraged. Actually, you can treat discomfort as something positive (aka growth mindset)—it indicates that you're pushing in the right direction.
An example to drive it home. Let's say you decided that you'll start running because you want to get into shape. Initially, there's going to be discomfort because a) you're starting using more energy that you have previously and b) you're doing something novel. Therefore, your body is going to start sending signals to make you stop running. However, if you ignore these signals and keep running, they will eventually lessen. After a couple of months you'll be in better shape and in a way, prove your body wrong because you'll be more efficient in using your energy. [rewrite]
Relevant notes (PN: )/questions (Q:):
P: Errors are fundamental to learning: basically the same mechanism.
PN: Tension and insight: often tension is the silence before the storm of an breakthrough.
PN: Pick the long-term over the short-term: when low in motivation, keep the long-term in mind
P: Death is the best bullshit remover: when low in motivation, remember about your death.