Scott Adams really helped me during my high school and uni years. He was one of those “you can will yourself to do whatever you want” types, who teeter dangerously towards the “bootstrap yourself” crowd, and I guess goes hand-in-hand with the toxic conservative mentality that you’re better than others.
Still, anyone that can will themselves out of a mental condition is worth listening to, and his mental exercises genuinely did shape me on to a path to success. As a kid battling with mild (back then undiagnosed) ADHD, he gave me structure and willful thinking.
I am forever grateful to him, despite how he spiraled towards the end.
I read somewhere that he had some kind of hysterical speech impediment and that he trained himself out of it by rhyming or singing until he could speak normally.
There’s also his method where he writes down his goals 15 times a day until you reach that goal. It sound silly, but it worked really well to keep me focused. I took it kinda to the extreme, and used it as a springboard to maintain other commitments to achieve my goals too: jog 3x a week, not eat chocolate, no coffee, no masturbating, no TV, and no music. I would also write out my goals taking only 15 breaths and not blinking for extra brownie points.
I did this in the 5 months before my exams, all the way until I would get my grades. High school and Uni – almost a decade where I would just go on full discipline mode for several months.
I don’t do it much now, except when I had a health scare last year and what got me back into shape? You bet it was that method.
Knew I was ripping it off from somewhere but couldn’t remember the source. Shame that guy turned out to be what he was.
Right? I followed the comic religiously for a good 20 years, but damn did things go crazy with him by 2020. Good riddance.
Scott Adams really helped me during my high school and uni years. He was one of those “you can will yourself to do whatever you want” types, who teeter dangerously towards the “bootstrap yourself” crowd, and I guess goes hand-in-hand with the toxic conservative mentality that you’re better than others.
Still, anyone that can will themselves out of a mental condition is worth listening to, and his mental exercises genuinely did shape me on to a path to success. As a kid battling with mild (back then undiagnosed) ADHD, he gave me structure and willful thinking.
I am forever grateful to him, despite how he spiraled towards the end.
It’s a shame that he ended up being such a remarkable douchebag.
All he had to do was shut up to preserve his legacy.
What kind of mental exercises?
I read somewhere that he had some kind of hysterical speech impediment and that he trained himself out of it by rhyming or singing until he could speak normally.
There’s also his method where he writes down his goals 15 times a day until you reach that goal. It sound silly, but it worked really well to keep me focused. I took it kinda to the extreme, and used it as a springboard to maintain other commitments to achieve my goals too: jog 3x a week, not eat chocolate, no coffee, no masturbating, no TV, and no music. I would also write out my goals taking only 15 breaths and not blinking for extra brownie points.
I did this in the 5 months before my exams, all the way until I would get my grades. High school and Uni – almost a decade where I would just go on full discipline mode for several months.
I don’t do it much now, except when I had a health scare last year and what got me back into shape? You bet it was that method.
Interesting, thanks for sharing!
You don’t will yourself out of anything, willpower is a lie.
You strategize your way out of anything, like pilloting a mech.
You promise yourself rewards, you make failsafes for the case where you might fail.
Yes, it’s a system for keeping your strategies in action