Were you once lazy?

[einbert]

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]

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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.

[/ QUOTE ]

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]

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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

[ QUOTE ]
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?

[/ QUOTE ]
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.

[/ QUOTE ]
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]

Whats the problem with being lazy?

[DocMartin]

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. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[einbert]

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

[purnell]

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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]

"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]

[ QUOTE ]

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.

[/ QUOTE ]


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