Were you once lazy? [Archive] - Two Plus Two Older Archives

09-19-2005, 05:56 AM

Find your inspiration or goal. Post it on your mirror. Remind yourself you need to work everyday to achieve your goal. Break it up into manageable steps so you don't get frustrated and quit. Feel good about the progress you've made and don't beat yourself up if you slip. Just redouble your efforts tomorrow. As you get closer to your goal...it will get easier.

Godot

09-19-2005, 06:06 AM

09-19-2005, 06:07 AM

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still working on it; any good books for this?

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I'd have to read books to recommend one.

09-19-2005, 06:12 AM

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Godot

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Whatcha waiting for?

09-19-2005, 06:16 AM

Being bright and being lazy are not mutually exclusive. A lot of lazy people see life's possibilities, they just don't want to or choose not to (for one reason or another) exert the energy required to achieve those possibilities. Generally it's a function of discipline. And IQ is just an arbitrary number designed to distinguish people on how well they take a certain test. It does not guarantee you anything in life.

09-19-2005, 06:23 AM

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Being bright and being lazy are not mutually exclusive. A lot of lazy people see life's possibilities, they just don't want to or choose not to (for one reason or another) exert the energy required to achieve those possibilities. Generally it's a function of discipline. And IQ is just an arbitrary number designed to distinguish people on how well they take a certain test. It does not guarantee you anything in life.

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I think people know this. When I said, "I didn't know bright people were productive and dumb people were lazy." I was being sarcastic. I guess I'm not smart enough (or maybe just too lazy) to portray myself as a bright person other than throwing my IQ range out there.

I appreciate the sincerity in your replies. GL w/ your own situation, but you are welcome to sit at my table.

09-19-2005, 06:35 AM

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Godot

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Whatcha waiting for?

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Long story...

09-19-2005, 06:39 AM

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Godot

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Whatcha waiting for?

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Long story...

[/ QUOTE ]I'll wait.

09-19-2005, 06:43 AM

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Godot

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Whatcha waiting for?

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Long story...

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I'll distill it like this...it's a french play about waiting for hope that tomorrow will be better. After, if things are going to get better, what's the point, right?

09-19-2005, 06:55 AM

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Godot

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Whatcha waiting for?

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Long story...

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I'll distill it like this...it's a french play about waiting for hope that tomorrow will be better. After, if things are going to get better, what's the point, right?

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Yeah, skimmed it. I read your OP, so I figured you're hoping tomorrow brings something that's lacking today. Do you know what it is that you hope tomorrow brings? Cuz I don't remember the characters in the book ever knowing what they were waiting for, nor did it ever arrive (don't be discouraged).

09-19-2005, 07:22 AM

I don't doubt your IQ at all, you seem intelligent from what I've read in your posts.

Times in life when I've been lazy I haven't thought things through. If you're intelligent and think through your goals, taking action is incredibly easy. Just figure out what you want and think about how to get it until you have a robust working model. For example:

>You want to get better at poker and move up a level:

Why?
- Because it's more fun, you have a better quality of life, can buy more things or have more savings, you're making progress as a player, you encounter more interesting people, and more interesting situations. You can blow some money when you feel like it. A night out at a club will be more fun. You can give money to your parents/family or important charity. The number of motivating reasons is only limited by your imagination.

What are some proven ways of getting better?
- Reviewing hands, doing exercises in books, writing out analyses of your play after each session.

How much time will it take?
- Break it down into so little each day/session it's no burden at all and no great change from the established order of things.

What other requirements are there for this to succeed?
- Bankroll, new monitor, etc.

What are the things that hold me back?
- X,Y
What system can I put in place for avoiding/managing X,Y that will work for me?

How do you get up the motivation to do it?
-You keep thinking about WHY you're doing it. Realistically think about what will happen if you don't do it. Compare the two alternatives. No matter how lazy you are 'why' will keep you on the straight and narrow.

jb9

09-19-2005, 10:59 AM

I have no practical advice other than to say you have to develop the discipline to force yourself to put in effort because:

success = ability * effort (in the presence of opportunity)

If effort = 0 then even if ability = infinity, success will still = 0.

Opportunity is, of course, not always within your control (and recognizing opportunity is part of ability), but if you are considering poker as an opportunity, then you are certainly in the presence of it.

I know a few people who fit the description of "bright but lazy" and what I've noticed is that as they get older (mid 30s and up) they get so angry and frustrated at seeing "less bright" people have more success that when this anger and frustration combine with their laziness an almost insurmountable wall gets created between them and success.

It's very depressing to watch, and I'm sure it is even more depressing to experience.

Good luck.

09-19-2005, 11:03 AM

i wasn't attractive enough to get laid while sitting on my azz. also my hands got tired.

09-19-2005, 11:05 AM

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People who are bright see life's possibilities (sex, money, friendship, experiences, travel, helping society), and then go out and achieve them.

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a rich lazy person can't do this why?

09-19-2005, 08:20 PM

No answers? I am really lazy. I am the laziest person I know, and the laziest person that anyone who has met me knows. So I'd establish a precident if I suddenly became productive?

mosdef

09-19-2005, 10:00 PM

achievement is addictive, it feels good to set a goal and then reach it, and it's fun to set higher goals and shoot for them.

i've got to say, it's all well and good to have a pretty IQ score to throw around but if you never try anything difficult you never really know if you're capable of achieving anything. obviously, i don't know you so i don't want to come across as "accusing" you of anything, but I DO know a lot of people who felt they were bright, did nothing, and then looked around and said to themselves "where's my reward? i'm bright. where's my reward for being smart? this is unfair." do you feel this way?

09-19-2005, 11:57 PM

here's the best advice you'll get--- GO WITH IT. BE LAZY UNTIL IT'S BORING, OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM. then you'll have a strong desire to live a more interesting life, and you'll be cured from the inside-- the only true way.

I did nothing until i was 28 yrs old while my friends slaved in college. now i control 2 companies. but i'm smart. if i wasn't smart i might be in trouble. then again i'd still recommend the same genuine-with-yourself approach.

tommo

09-20-2005, 01:37 AM

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People who are bright see life's possibilities (sex, money, friendship, experiences, travel, helping society), and then go out and achieve them. Lazy people are lazy because ultimately, they're too small minded to see the possibilities out there and what is required for achieving them.

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I disagree. I'm going to correlate being "bright" to high scores on IQ tests, SATs, AP exams, SAT II's and college exams and give you an example:

I have a friend who has scored perfect on all standardized tests : ACTs SATs AP exams SAT IIs.

No, I'm not making that up, he scored perfect.

He also got an incredibly high score on the IQ test.

He gets straight C's at a good Ivy league school and got straight C's in high school. He does absolutely nothing with his life. Just sits around and comments on how doing things would be a good idea...but that he's too lazy to do them.

09-20-2005, 02:10 AM

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I DO know a lot of people who felt they were bright, did nothing, and then looked around and said to themselves "where's my reward? i'm bright. where's my reward for being smart? this is unfair." do you feel this way?

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No, that would be stupid. I've always had a great amount of respect for people who work hard. I know I'm not one of those people, but I'd like to be one. I was hoping someone who was also bright, but formerly lazy would be able to empathize with my situation. Also I was hoping this person could shed some insight into changing.

09-20-2005, 05:00 AM

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I have a friend who has scored perfect on all standardized tests : ACTs SATs AP exams SAT IIs.

No, I'm not making that up, he scored perfect.

He also got an incredibly high score on the IQ test.

He gets straight C's at a good Ivy league school and got straight C's in high school.

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A couple of points. Firstly, no matter how intelligent you are, it's impossible to get a perfect score on the SAT without a working knowledge of maths. A working knowledge of math requires study, doing assignments, etc. It would be impossible to get a C in math unless he deliberately handed in incorrect work. Similarly for the English part of the SAT, though that is possible.

Secondly, how does a guy with straight Cs, no motivation (and obviously no extra curricular activities of particular note) get into a good Ivy League school?

09-20-2005, 05:15 AM

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A couple of points. Firstly, no matter how intelligent you are, it's impossible to get a perfect score on the SAT without a working knowledge of maths. A working knowledge of math requires study, doing assignments, etc.

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A working knowledge of math is necessary. But some people don't have to study, nor do assignments to ace the Math SATs. I think just going to class is enough for some.

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Secondly, how does a guy with straight Cs, no motivation (and obviously no extra curricular activities of particular note) get into a good Ivy League school?

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I don't know, but there are some stupid people in Ivy League schools (not many, but a few). Maybe they qualify as average, but in the Ivy League setting their stupidity stands out. I knew one girl, and her father is well known in Hollywood.

mosdef

09-20-2005, 08:04 AM

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I DO know a lot of people who felt they were bright, did nothing, and then looked around and said to themselves "where's my reward? i'm bright. where's my reward for being smart? this is unfair." do you feel this way?

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No, that would be stupid. I've always had a great amount of respect for people who work hard. I know I'm not one of those people, but I'd like to be one. I was hoping someone who was also bright, but formerly lazy would be able to empathize with my situation. Also I was hoping this person could shed some insight into changing.

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hi vincent,

well, that's good, you're not one of "those people", which is a start. the only advice i can give is that starting to work hard and achieving your goals can be addictive, so the way to stop being lazy is to START doing something. anything. for example, try to run 5k (er, that's 3.125 miles for the americans) in 20 minutes. see how close you come, then set up a plan to reach that goal. then hit that goal. then set new and more challenging goals. repeat, repeat, repeat.

Bodhi

09-20-2005, 02:41 PM

I can relate to this post. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif Sometimes I am very lazy, but at other times I am the most productive/hard-working person I know. However, many people throughout my life have mistaken my hard-working periods for a real-work ethic, when in reality I was obsessed with the task at hand and didn't care about goals or a future.
Ultimately, you'd get off your lazy butt if you thought something was worth pursuing, or that it would matter if you acheived a certain level of status or material goods. If you don't hold those values or beliefs, then you'll remain lazy.
What did Sartre say? Something like, "It makes no difference whether you lead the people to victory or get drunk at home alone." In the end we're all worm food anyway, so in the long-run it doesn't matter whether you're productive or not.

aflaba

09-20-2005, 03:05 PM

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Subfallen

09-20-2005, 05:04 PM

MyTurn2Raise

09-20-2005, 06:39 PM

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Secondly, how does a guy with straight Cs, no motivation (and obviously no extra curricular activities of particular note) get into a good Ivy League school?

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I did the same...test scores are weighted pretty heavy...don't hate the player, hate the game

Unfortunately, that skeleton resume did lead to some baren scholarship hunts. Nice to be able to fall back to UofI with a shitload of government scholarships. 8 years of basketball tickets later, I don't regret a thing.

tommo

09-20-2005, 08:28 PM

its pretty easy if you never turn in homework.

einbert

09-21-2005, 02:57 AM

I always have been, and I always will be.

Laziness is another of life's obstacles that we have to overcome. It is not a headache we can take tylenol for, or a new car we can work really hard and sacrifice and buy. It is always going to be there. Expecting to "become less lazy" is about as ridiculous as expecting all your problems to go away if you go to psychotherapy or expecting a new car (or anything else) to bring you happiness and joy for the rest of your life. It just ain't gonna happen.

There is a way to become less lazy. But it's hard work.

einbert

09-21-2005, 03:02 AM

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I'm bright

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People who are bright see life's possibilities (sex, money, friendship, experiences, travel, helping society), and then go out and achieve them. Lazy people are lazy because ultimately, they're too small minded to see the possibilities out there and what is required for achieving them.

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Maybe I am bright enough to see what you are too dumb to comprehend--that the things you mentioned (sex, money, friendship, experiences, travel, helping society) are all really worthless. Have you considered that possibility?

Or do you consider yourself omniscient, so you already know who is brightest and who is dumbest and who is everywhere in between.

Maybe some of the most brilliant people in the world are people that don't seek any of the things you listed. Maybe the most brilliant people in the world understand that those things aren't really important. Maybe some of the most brilliant people in the world have psychological disorders which prevent them from overcoming their laziness for one reason or another. I think you should consider some of these possibilities.

Mr. Curious

09-21-2005, 02:02 PM

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Were you once lazy?

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I was until I read "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" and realized that my laziness was just procrastination and that it led to more stress than if I just got off my ass and did things before they needed to be done.

EDIT: Waiting till the last minute == lots of stress, lots of grey hair (if there is any left), no sex, and a piss poor job

09-21-2005, 02:57 PM

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Maybe I am bright enough to see what you are too dumb to comprehend--that the things you mentioned (sex, money, friendship, experiences, travel, helping society) are all really worthless. Have you considered that possibility?

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Yes. But I was talking about healthy individuals, not people suffering from clinical depression. And seriously, you'd have to have 0 imagination to find all of those things really worthless.

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Or do you consider yourself omniscient, so you already know who is brightest and who is dumbest and who is everywhere in between.

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No, I'm going on test scores and marks of people I knew in college and at work. As was OP I believe...

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Maybe some of the most brilliant people in the world are people that don't seek any of the things you listed. Maybe the most brilliant people in the world understand that those things aren't really important. Maybe some of the most brilliant people in the world have psychological disorders which prevent them from overcoming their laziness for one reason or another. I think you should consider some of these possibilities.

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Of course I've considered them. But people without psychological disorders, given the choice, have a natural interest in at least some of the things I've listed. There's not much else left in life except staring vacantly at the walls, or spending all of your time in your head imagining your own greatness. I don't see how anyone can call that intelligent.

Name one thing that wasn't on my list that brilliant/bright people DO consider important.

Komodo

09-21-2005, 03:00 PM

Whats the problem with being lazy?

DocMartin

09-29-2005, 03:30 AM

I am bright (IQ, PhD, whatever) and I consider myself lazy (not to the extent of the OP since I will reluctantly expend a little effort now and then). An underachiever that meets the minimum standards to get by. Others may not notice it but I am well aware.

I think being bright can contribute to being lazy. School (and most other things) come easy, you dont have to work hard to succeed (There was a similar example earlier in the thread). You put in enough effort to do a decent job without expending much effort or reaching your full potential. Sometimes I am inspired to work hard at something for a little while (and reach a certain level of success) but often get bored of it and move on to something else. Poker has been my thing for the past year but I am hoping to stick with it since its crazy profitable.

So it comes down to motivation (sorry, no big revelations here) and as others have mentioned, goal setting can be very effective. I havent seen any success stories in this thread regarding a radical recovery from laziness to being uber-productive but even if there were it is individual and what works for one person may not work for another. Do a little research on motivation, try a few things (goal setting, self talk, sticking to a schedule/routine etc) and hopefully something will work for you.

Hopefully this reply will help motivate me to do the same. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

einbert

09-29-2005, 03:34 AM

I used to think you were a pretty intellectual person. This post is pretty ridiculous, though, if it's serious.

purnell

09-29-2005, 05:29 AM

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It would be impossible to get a C in math unless he deliberately handed in incorrect work.

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In the US schools that I attended, it was quite easy to get a C grade in any class while scoring 100% or close to it on all exams. If the homework is counted as 25% of the grade, and you ace all the exams, but don't turn in any homework, you get a 75, which is a C or D, depending.

From the student's perspective, he might as well be digging ditches as doing homework assignments designed to teach him what he already knows. This situation is fairly common for extremely bright young people here. If he doesn't do the busywork, he doesn't get the grade. His knowledge of the subject matter is immaterial.

Mr_J

09-29-2005, 09:46 PM

"I'm bright, and I'm chronically lazy."

Same. I've averaged less than 10 sngs a day this year, despite being a 'pro'.

"who can share their story on how they changed."

This is why I'm getting a 12tabling setup. So I can still be lazy, work 2hrs a day and still make 2k a week. And on the off week I feel like going hardcore (2hrs a day allows you to do this), I can make something stupid like 8-10k.

warlockjd

10-01-2005, 06:13 PM

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I'm bright

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People who are bright see life's possibilities (sex, money, friendship, experiences, travel, helping society), and then go out and achieve them. Lazy people are lazy because ultimately, they're too small minded to see the possibilities out there and what is required for achieving them.

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Seems like you're confusing motivation (coupled with common sense) with intelligence

10-01-2005, 06:21 PM

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A couple of points. Firstly, no matter how intelligent you are, it's impossible to get a perfect score on the SAT without a working knowledge of maths. A working knowledge of math requires study, doing assignments, etc.

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Here I disagree, I'm no math savant, but I got a nearly perfect score on the SAT math section. And, I didn't put much effort into math at all. I did do the assignments (often during the class), but studying math was out of the question. If this guy is really that brilliant, just listening to the teacher in class and taking the tests could very well be enough.

I can understand the laziness problem. I graduated magna cum laude from a good college and once went a month without doing a lick of homework. For me, the trick is working hard when it counts. As one other poster said, I can have periods of being one of the hardest workers you know, and then I can sit on my butt for a long time. So, in high school I took tests to get almost half of the credits needed to graduate from college, which allowed me a lot of free time in college. However, I also did internships that required 60-80 hours a week when I needed to.

warlockjd

10-01-2005, 06:39 PM

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Here I disagree, I'm no math savant, but I got a nearly perfect score on the SAT math section. And, I didn't put much effort into math at all. I did do the assignments (often during the class), but studying math was out of the question. If this guy is really that brilliant, just listening to the teacher in class and taking the tests could very well be enough.

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I agree. In high school, I would complete enough of the homework until I fully understood the concepts and was ready to be tested. I often completed 1 or 2 of the assigned problems.

The teacher and I would always argue. I said I didn't need more repitition since I understood the concpets, and she said I did, and then I'd set the curve.

To OP, man I am in the same boat as you, but really we just need to get off our lazy asses. I 'work' like 20 hours a week when I should be accumulating as much of this free poker craze money as I can before the poker craze subsides.

Also, you may be using your intelligence as an excuse to be lazy. I used to think somewhere along the lines of, 'I'm smarter than them, I don't have to do that.'

But in the real world, success is a function of hard work. The guy with 2/3 of your IQ and twice your work ethic will have more success. IQ is a nice starting point, but really it comes down to how hard you work.

I agree with the other poster who said wicked smart peeps don't ever learn a proper work ethic. School, etc, was so easy, that you never learned a proper work ethic. At least I didn't

and at 29, it's up for me to teach myself one, and I think it's up to you to teach yourself one. If you can get off the couch that is.....

Hope this doesn't sound too harsh, I'm preaching at myself as much as you....laters