Yeah, I've heard this kind of thing before. That the key to breaking bad habits and going after the things that you're too afraid to persue is to consciously make yourself uncomfortable in whatever small ways that you can. You'll slowly condition yourself to act in spite of knowing that it'll be unpleasant.
I've actually read about this a number of times and a common recommendation is to take cold showers. Though I think I'd rather step into oncoming traffic than a cold shower. Still, it does seem to make sense. I think I'll start by taking slightly tepid but still kinda warm showers instead. Gotta start somewhere.
YES, totally agree on the cold showers I do that too. Started young because we were poor so we can't afford a heater, and too lazy to wake up early to boil water. Bad combo really. :)
Wow, are you me? We used to have one of those metal water troughs to take baths in. We'd also boil the water to take our bath! We'd bring the trough into the living room because the only heat we had was from the fireplace and stove, ha!! Growing up dirt poor was a trip, man.
It's a experience some may never be able to relate to, haha.
Yeah, sometimes when I see how entitled and unappreciative people are for what they have I take a moment and think about how my father grew up. No electricty or indoor plumbing. Having to work from the time that he was still a small child.
My attitude and what I take for granted must look, to him, just like what I think that I see in those people.
But, like you said, they can't relate to the experience of hand to mouth poverty. To them throwing away food or complaing that their job doesn't pay enough for the lifestyle they want is just relative to their experience, where food and work is always available.
So, I try not to judge. I know that I have the exact same flaws and that I'm just as oblivious to them as everyone else.
Hey, @kangarooninja. Thanks for sharing your day's tale.
I've read somewhere before that children that witness their parents' struggles will turn out to be more persistent too. I think that's the case for you. Keep it up!
Thanks for all the thought out responses. I don't want to take too much of your precious time, but I want to touch on what you just said about learning persistence.
My father has one of the worst cases of post polio syndrome in the world and (as far as we know) has used an iron lung longer than anyone who's ever lived (66 years). I spent my summers with him as a child and through to my years as a young man. I had to work very hard, sun up to sun down on our family farm.
The whole day, as I did my hard work, he would push himslef along in his wheelchair throughout the field with his one good leg. A very hard task for someone with 75% of their diaphragm having been atrophied. He would use he good leg and foot to grasp a water hose to painstaking water the garden and dozen or so fruit trees. He would pull weeds with his toes, slowly push chopped branches from felled trees and cleared brush. He worked harder than anyone I've ever seen, (And I worked as roughneck in the oilfield.)
His example is the one and only reason that I have the persistence and work ethic that I do today.
Sorry for the wall of text.