Warning: potentially life-changing 3-minute read!
How to use the greatest motivator off all, pressure, to your advantage.

I’ve always worked best under pressure. That is, by the way, a truth with modifications. Sometimes the pressure has been so high, that I failed to complete whatever task I was working on.

Over the years I’ve made one crucial observation:

The obligations I have in relation to other people, seem to be a much stronger motivator, than the obligations I have towards myself.

What do I mean by that?

An example: I work from home, and I therefore have deadlines several times a week. I almost never miss these deadlines. However, I often fail to deliver on promises I make to myself.

“Finish the novel draft!”

I don’t even know how long that sentence has been stuck on my to-do list, - at least for months. But for some reason, when the list tells me to “Finish work assignment 01”, I constantly orient towards that, - and I always make it happen somehow.

Similarly, if I tell myself: “Tomorrow, I’m cleaning the kitchen!”, I rarely do so.

If, on the other hand, I promise my wife to clean the kitchen, more often than not, I do so.

Why is that?

It’s clearly an extremely impractical tendency, and from what I’ve gathered, it’s a part of the human condition, meaning: Almost everybody does it.

What does it say about me as a person, that I do everything in my power to accommodate the needs of others, but little to accommodate my own?

And more importantly: how do I change it?

A possible Explanation

Since humans are social beings, and since we have been for millennia, it is no wonder that whatever traits we have that make us more sociable, have been favored over the years.

Being socially accommodating is simply better for procreation and long-term survival, than is being self-absorbed and egotistically focused.

The Formula to Change

Over the past few years, I’ve been working with a simple system to change this behavior.

I managed to boil it down to two simple rules, that must be followed at all times:

1. Write down every single thing that needs to be done. From “call mom” and “buy sugar” to “write sci-fi script” and “become mister universe”.

2. Start each day by completing at least one thing on the list, that you do for yourself. It can’t be something, that others want you to do. It must be something that you want (done). Only then can you move on the next thing.

Don't worry if you don't finish the tasks - some tasks can take days, weeks, months, years to finish - but be glad that you took one step - again today - towards the fulfillment of your desires.

Try that for a month, and observe the effect is has! It has changed my life.

And if you don’t like following rules, think about this:

If you don’t make your own rules – and stick to them – you will inevitably end up following rules made by others. Those are the only two options.

Knowing that, the choice is easy.

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Thoughts and comments are always welcome.

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Please note that my predictions aren’t necessarily founded in any type of technical analysis, insider knowledge or anything but my personal current understanding of what a reasonable price level for the currency in question is.

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Wanna get into crypto? Enter the market here (we both get $10):
https://www.coinbase.com/join/59713a28d9ffbc0096fa8593

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My favorite song (yes, I wrote it and my wife, @emmacairo, performs it, but it’s awesome as hell):
https://emmacairo.bandcamp.com/track/in-it-for-the-money
(enjoy it while planning you next crypto investment – you’re welcome)