Humanity's Two Crutches

It’s really interesting, people have good intentions but have a really hard time following through on them.

Intentions to prioritize their health by getting consistent and routine with their exercise and eating choices, but struggle with it on a day to day basis. To be bolder and more focused as passionate contributors to their bigger mission, but then on most days show up with a fraction of the enthusiasm. To get stronger in the face of adversity and challenge, but give up sooner than they’d like to admit.

What’s getting in the way? What’s missing? There are two reasons why people are chronically falling short of their fullest potential: Fear and laziness.

We fear what other people might think if we try our best and we don’t succeed. We’re hesitant to take risks or bet on ourselves for fear that it doesn’t pan out. Instead of testing the edges of what’s possible, people are stuck contained in their comfort zone, keeping them from taking action on the things that make them feel most alive.

And people are lazy. We eat the more convenient food option, skip the most energy-demanding task, wait for others to figure it out for us, and talk ourselves out of following through on our commitments by convincing ourselves that we deserve a break.

Interestingly, fear and laziness come from the same root - our brain’s evolutionary hardwiring to keep us safe. Safety is the brain’s primary purpose. Fear is a mechanism for keeping us out of harm’s way, and laziness is a mechanism for preserving energy so that we’re prepared to flee from a threat should we need to.

In other words, pursuing our potential exists in opposition to what our brain is designed to do.

Fear and laziness are an unconscious, underlying script. They are always at play shaping our choices and actions in the subtlest ways. And it’s those who are best at limiting their influence that are most positioned to be successful. Those who are better at overcoming fear and laziness do what’s required to achieve their goals.

So my recommendation to you is to use fear and laziness as a trigger to ask yourself a very important question - “What do I want?” Listen to the answer your best self gives in response, and have the courage and discipline to take action on it.

The 21 Day New Year Challenge starts today and it’s not too late to join. If you’ve been struggling with consistency but you want to become more disciplined and intentional, and play a bigger game in 2025, this is a perfect fit. Don’t let your fear hold you back, fortune favors the bold, and you know what you need (even if it's just doing something different). Sign up at www.newyearforgood.com and we’ll get started!