#161: Unhappy medium
Moments of crisis can be transformative. They are awful, yes, but they also open up new opportunities that you wouldn’t—or couldn’t—otherwise have taken. In fact, the great mystery is not why crises so often seem to change our lives for the better. It is why we seem to be unable to change them any other way.
Megan McArdle • The Up Side of Down: Why Failing Well Is the Key to Success
Dissatisfaction and discomfort dominate our brain’s default state, but we can use them to motivate us instead of defeat us.
Nir Eyal • Indistractable
to the fact that human beings are hardwired to seek comfort, which translates to us as survival—we’re physiologically designed that way. It only makes sense that in our more fully actualized intellectual and emotional lives, we’d want the same. Moving yourself past resistance is a matter of shifting your perception of comfort. It’s about considerin
... See moreBrianna Wiest • 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think
Another reason we tend to push back against change is that doing something different might lead to worse results. There is an asymmetry to change—we take negative results to heart more than positive ones. Worse results make us stand out for the wrong reasons. Why risk looking like an idiot when you can remain average? We’d rather be average than ri
... See moreShane Parrish • Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results
Comfort and convenience are valuable for the time it frees up. But how we use that time matters. We need voluntary challenge, not the empty victory of quick dopamine hits. Research into discomfort—like ice baths or cold showers—shows these short bursts of voluntary hardship boost mood, reduce stress, and build greater resilience.
Similarly, intermit... See more
Similarly, intermit... See more