Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Not every thought needs to be acted on, especially if the thoughts come from external sources. I've heard it said (I believe by Hormozi on Williamson's podcast) that at a certain level, success becomes mostly about saying no to increasingly great opportunities. I can confirm this is relevant near the bottom too, at least if you have a high level of openness (personality dimension) and are presented with inspiration…
Here's an analogy that I think about from time to time. Imagine your life as a garden. You have a finite amount of days, with a finite amount of resources per day to plant new things or caretake existing things. Your soul represents the breadth and depth of your reach on any given day, but it is a fixed size and you must choose how much breadth and depth it has through your choices. Consider each day as an opportunit…
Self-control signals and affords power
121–130 of 137 posts
Re: Self-control signals and affords power
#122This is something I've noticed in myself and I'm glad there's research to back this, although this is an open secret to those who do master self-control. I've spent the last three to four years working on self-control and discipline after I hit rock bottom in my life and realized I had no self-agency. For me, having greater self-control led me to ensure I can focus on providing value where it matters in my life, and…
It's extremely humiliating, and I've gone a lot further than listening to the daily stoic, there's an entire body of scientific literature on how to improve self-control in general and for people like me who seem to have literal neurological abnormalities. I've spent the last few weeks miserable from medication side-effects for instance.
Re: Self-control signals and affords power
#123A controversial take from this is that, aside from the health benefits, you will also accrue personal and professional benefits from not being fat. I remember interviewing when I was chubbier post-COVID thinking that the only evidence the interviewer has of my self-control and drive is that I have none. Best case scenario, you are interviewing a temporarily embarrassed skinny person. Noble prize winner James Watson,…
> …you will also accrue personal and professional benefits from not being fat. As an overweight person, I don't think it's controversial. You'll also accrue personal and professional benefits from being a tall man and/or good-looking. However, "fat people have no self-control" is still fatphobia and ignores the interplay of genetic, metabolic, physiological, cultural, socio-economic, and environmental factors that co…
Also, I prefer to associate with people who are not fat. Is that a bad thing?
Re: Self-control signals and affords power
#124This article mentions a study that found almost no correlation between people who self-report having high self-control, and people who actually do well on tests measuring self-control: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/1/15/16863374/wi... The most likely explanation is that people who report high self-control are really experiencing less temptation.
Is this a distinction without a difference? In the original qualitative write-ups for the Marshmallow Test, they described the children using all sorts of distraction strategies to basically make themselves forget that there's a tasty marshmallow sitting right in front of them. Maybe this is all that self-control is - having enough self-awareness (and valuing your future self highly enough) to direct your attention e…
Re: Self-control signals and affords power
#125Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you try against all failures and are persistent and you finally get lucky. Versus giving up after first or second failure. Is it still luck that is most important?
Luck is a huge factor in your starting point. It's significantly harder to become a millionaire if your starting point is a group home in a poor country. An unlimited amount of persistence can't overcome those odds.
I am also not talking about becoming a millionaire.
I am talking about simple things like getting a decent job. If I sent 2 CVs out and gave up can I compare with someone who sent 100 CVs out and got the job? Can I say "he just got lucky"?
Re: Self-control signals and affords power
#126Earlier quoted context omitted.
Disagree? It's ad copy promoting a self-help book.
Good call. The author of this book is a marketer and "media strategist," with an obvious focus on social media. He was great at plastering subtle ads all over relevant threads and subs over on reddit. Nice to know that he too has figure out reddit has gone to shit and is also looking for greener pastures..
A huge amount of which appears to be consumed and re-re-gurgitated by adolescent gamers
Re: Self-control signals and affords power
#127Earlier quoted context omitted.
Musk has lost a massive amount of credibility because of failing to deliver on most of the self-proclaimed potential of his businesses—basically, all of them outside of the potential of SpaceX, and even there he should be grateful the perceived value of the company isn't tied to going to mars.
/me eyes Tesla
Re: Self-control signals and affords power
#128Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think luck and lying is essentially the method to real wealth. Find me someone who got there without those two elements. Wealth is an expression of your ability to manipulate other people into devoting their labor to your enrichment. You don't get there without some deception.
i.e like your worldview. good to know
Re: Self-control signals and affords power
#129Earlier quoted context omitted.
A single person, by definition, can't construct a social illusion. "Social" requires a society, which means at the very least two people. "A social illusion constructed by the person it is acting upon" is nonsense. We could call a language a social illusion. There's nothing red about the word red. And the distinction we draw between "earth" and "sky" is not one that the universe appears to use in its operation. Langu…
Dang we sure are getting hung up on semantics rather than substance today, huh?
Re: Self-control signals and affords power
#130Earlier quoted context omitted.
Dang we sure are getting hung up on semantics rather than substance today, huh?
I'm not sure whether or not I agree with what you're saying, but I will offer that Punish The Contrarian is the most popular free-to-play MMORPG game online, because all players who choose the Punisher role start with a free +1 point bonus against those who don't, so it feels like one is winning simply by showing up to play.