A challenge

The human will is very much like a muscle, and mine has lately grown quite out of shape. It is time for a discpline workout, I invite anybody with the grit, or desiring the grit to join me in another THREE WEEK TEST OF WILL!!!

Here are the full conditions of test. Failure of at least part of the conditions is common, but continued effort is important. Anything is better than complete failure.

1) choose three(3) specific things that you do on a regualr basis. Your choices should be things that are challenging, but not unrealistic. For instance, you probably won't be able to quit coffee if you're used to downing 5-6 cups a day. Of course the best things to pick are the activities that have negative effects on your life, like visiting too many virus ridden porn sites. Think reduction, not elimination.

2) Three weeks is the timeline. Apply your three tests one at a time, compounding. Do the easiest one first and the hardest one last. For instance:

Week one: no beer on fridays

Week two: no beer on fridays, no weed on wednesdays

Week three: no beer on fridays, no weed on wednesdays, no masturbation before noon

...Just an example...

3) Start immediately. Right now! By putting it off even a few hours, you risk failing before even beginning. No last friday pint, no last wednesday hit, no umm, well you get the picture.

The ideal goal is to succeed at all three by the third week, but naturally some will slide or outright fail. It is amazing how many little things in life can be utterly addicitive. Just stick to it best you can.

My three things? One of them will be to do 5 pushups a night. The rest I'll keep to myself. For me, making sure I remember things is almost as hard as getting myself to do them. Are you up for the challenge?

P.S. I had would've posted sooner, but my post turned into a column, and Imprint has first publication rights...