{"id":2777,"date":"2022-11-02T21:40:39","date_gmt":"2022-11-02T21:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pmascience.com\/jaypacheco\/?p=2777"},"modified":"2023-08-30T10:07:34","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T10:07:34","slug":"2777-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pmascience.com\/jaypacheco\/2777-2\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Habits That Will Guarantee Your Mental Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

PMA Science of Habit<\/span><\/p>\n

Blog Bonus: 25 Habits That Will Guarantee Your Mental Success<\/span><\/p>\n

The ancient Stoics were fond of an expression: You make character your fate.<\/span><\/p>\n

It means that character is deterministic, that who you are determines what you will be and do. Of course, if you choose to determine your character.<\/span><\/p>\n

Self-discipline is one of those special things that is both predictive and deterministic if chosen. It both predicts that you will be a success, AND it makes whatever you are doing worthwhile. It is not a means to an end. It is not just something we value until we get something we think we might really value,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014this job title, that amount of money, winning the lottery, landing the most desirable job opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n

No.<\/span><\/p>\n

Discipline, and self-discipline is the win.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you are disciplined about your purposes\u2026you win. When you are disciplined and believe in yourself\u2026you win. When you know you have put your heart into something, you will succeed. When your self-worth is tied to things you can control (effort and a positive mental attitude, for example)\u2026you win.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is what I mean when I say, as I titled my book, PMA Science of Habit. Who we are, the standards we hold ourselves to, the things we do regularly\u2014in the end, these are all better predictors of the trajectory of our lives than things like talent, resources, or anything else. So here, are some extra bonus keys that I should have included in my book: PMA Science of Habit : A Practical Guide to Self-Discipline and Mental Riches. Several of the following 25 habits weren\u2019t included at the time I wrote my book. This is because I didn\u2019t know much about stoicism, though these 25 habits will put you ahead on the most positive trajectory possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. Attack dawn and sleep.<\/strong>
\nAccording to research conducted on most athletes at the gym, firefighters, and several business owners, the morning hours are the most productive. \u201cBecause in the morning, you are free\u201d most of them said, and Dwayne Johnson talks on YouTube about how he attacks dawn because during early time, there was, \u201cno one to disturb you and it is cool or cold and you come to your work out and be ready for the day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sleep is also a very significant part of life to maintain a healthy body and mind. The majority of successful people tend to sleep early in order to maintain sound health or in order to have a very productive day the next day.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. Journaling and Gratitude<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Daily journaling for 3 – 5 minutes is the easiest thing you can do to start and end the day on a positive note.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is the physical act of daily journal writing that impacts physical brain activity and function across a multitude of powerful dimensions within your mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every successful person I have talked with, I have learned that they journal every morning and night. Either be a doctor, a person that trains very often at the gym, a business owner, or a person with a management position. They write down their ideas, their plans, their thoughts, their gratitudes and the most prominent example we have today are Meditations by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why write a book no one would see? Why create a handbook if you are not planning to publish it?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I needed it to keep me in my path.\u201d -Marcus Aurelius<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. Reading opens the imagination.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Most people do not open or touch a book after they leave high school or college. The reading I\u2019m talking about here is self-help, biographies, and psychology books for example. The government expects students to study in school in order to become employees rather than thinkers. That’s why most people don’t read after they graduate from school. And because of that, most people don\u2019t really like to learn after so many hours of studying during their school years. The few people that read, is mostly because they have goals and want to pursue them. They might want to become leaders in their fields at work, want to be doctors, business owners, world champion athletes, -or just want to self-develop and grow mentally for example.<\/span><\/p>\n

Due to their reading interests, Nikola Tesla and Leonardo DaVinci inventions came to mind. If they hadn’t read, we probably wouldn’t have today’s technologies. Consider alternate current in our homes, wireless communication, magnificent bridges, or the Mona Lisa and Elons Mulsk electric cars.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. Quit being a slave. On an ordinary<\/strong> afternoon in 1949, the physicist Richard Feynman was rushing about his business when he felt a pull to have a drink. Not an intense craving by any means, but it was a disconcerting desire for alcohol. On the spot, Feynman gave up drinking right then and there. Nothing, he felt, should have that kind of power over him. At the core of the idea of self-mastery is an instinctive reaction against anything that masters us. We have to drop our unproductive habits. We have to quit being a slave\u2014to cigarettes or soda, to likes on social media, to too much junk food, to unmotivational work, or your lust for power. The body, and mind can\u2019t be in charge. Neither can the habit. We have to be the boss. For the same reason that \u201cwe have a body and mind\u201d, and we can control to a certain point.<\/span><\/p>\n

Napoleon Hill tells us in the book Think and Grow Rich that if you make up your mind to quit, you will win. That\u2019s a tremendous attitude and habit. -just as Richard Feynman did.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5. Just be about the work.<\/strong>
\nBefore he was a big time comedian, Hasan Minhaj was asked if he thought he was going to make it big. \u201cI don\u2019t like that question,\u201d he said. \u201cI fundamentally don\u2019t like that question.\u201d Because the question implies that doing comedy is a means to an end\u2014the Netflix special, selling out the stadium, doing this, getting that. \u201cNo, no, no,\u201d he said, \u201cI get to do comedy\u2026I won. It being predicated on doing X or being bigger than Y\u2014no, no, no. To me, it has always been about the work. I\u2019m on house money, full time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The words of Hasan Minhaj described above show how a positive mental mindset can work when one has a desire to dedicate oneself to the work.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

6. Manage the load.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\u201cAbsolute activity, of whatever kind,\u201d Goethe said, \u201cultimately leads to bankruptcy.\u201d No one is invincible. No one can carry on forever. We are all susceptible to what the American swimmer Simone Manuel has helped popularize: Overtraining Syndrome. Even iron eventually breaks, or wears out.<\/p>\n

In writing some of my books, training, reading and holding a “common job” I have come to the conclusion that there have been several times when my body just ached and did not want to respond. The signs have told me that I need to rest and manage the load.<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Do the challenging things first.<\/strong>
\nThe poet and pacifist William Stafford put forth a daily rule: \u201cDo the most difficult things first.\u201d Don\u2019t wait. Don\u2019t tell yourself you\u2019ll warm up to it. Don\u2019t tell yourself you\u2019ll get this other stuff out of the way and then\u2026No. Do it now. Do it first. Get it over with.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having to do the difficult things first can be unpleasant and challenging, but Elon Musk and Dwayne Johnson are known for persevering to achieve their goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

8. The main thing should remain the main thing<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI wish I knew how people do high quality and long sustained work and still keep all kinds of other lines going\u2013social, economic, etc,\u201d John Steinbeck once wrote in the middle of the long grind of a novel. The truth is, they don\u2019t! It is impossible to be committed to anything\u2013professionally or personally\u2013without the discipline to say no to all those other superfluous things.<\/p>\n

9. Make small progress each day.<\/strong>
\nOne of the most helpful rules I\u2019ve heard as a writer is that the way to write a book is by producing \u201ctwo crappy pages a day.\u201d It\u2019s by carving out a small win each and every day\u2014getting words on the page\u2014that a book is put together. Hemingway once said that \u201cthe first draft of anything is crap,\u201d and he\u2019s right (I actually have lots of notes both in my journals and iPhone notes as a reminder to get inspiration at given times).<\/span><\/p>\n

10. Be kind to yourself.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Stoic philosopher Cleanthes was once walking through the streets of Athens when he came across a man berating himself for some failure. Seeing how upset he was, Cleanthes\u2013normally one to mind his own business\u2013could not help himself but to stop and say kindly, \u201cRemember, you\u2019re not talking to a bad man.\u201d Discipline isn\u2019t about beating yourself up. There\u2019s a firmness involved, for sure. Ultimately, after a lifetime of study of Stoicism, this is how Seneca came to judge his own growth\u2014\u201cWhat progress have I made?\u201d he wrote. \u201cI have begun to be a friend to myself.\u201d It is an act of self discipline to be kind towards oneself. To be a trustworthy friend. To make yourself better. To celebrate your progress, however small. That\u2019s what friends do.<\/span><\/p>\n

11. Bring distinction to everything you do.<\/strong> Plutarch tells us about a general and statesman in Greece named Epaminondas who, despite his brilliance on and off the battlefield, was appointed to an insultingly minor office in Thebes responsible for the city\u2019s sewers. In fact, it was because of his brilliance that he was assigned the role. A number of jealous and fearful rivals thought it would effectively end his career. However, rather than reacting with fury or despair at his insignificance, Epaminondas embraced his newly acquired job with a full heart. According to him, the distinction of the office does not come to the man, but the man brings it to the man. With discipline and earnestness, Plutarch wrote, \u201che proceeded to transform that insignificant office into a great and respected honor, even though previously it had involved nothing more than overseeing the clearing of dung and the diverting of water from the streets.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

12. Practice.<\/strong>
\nThe wonderfully curious economist Tyler Cowen has come to ask greats of various fields some version of the question: How do you practice your scales? What drills or exercises make you better at what you do? If a person wants to get better, wants to continue to develop and polish, they must know the answer to that question.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jim Rhon said \u201cMotivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.\u201d And the only way to maintain positive habits is through practice.<\/span><\/p>\n

13. Be harsh on yourself. <\/span><\/strong>\u201cTake the cold bath bravely, \u2018\u2019 W.E.B Dubois wrote to his daughter. \u201cMake yourself do unpleasant things so as to gain the upper hand of your soul.\u201d By being stern with ourselves, it makes it less likely for others to be harsh on us. By being our own tyrant, we take away the power of tyrants over us.<\/span><\/p>\n

The virtue of being strict on oneself doesn’t mean being negative, but rather being disciplined and postponing gratification for virtues.<\/span><\/p>\n

14. Look at everything in a calm and mild light.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When things seemed to be at their peak, Abraham Lincoln always relied on mantras or tools to calm himself. During his presidency he often used methods such as:<\/em><\/p>\n

“Some of the wisest of men have called anger a short madness: for it is equally devoid of self control, regardless of decorum, forgetful of kinship, obstinately engrossed in whatever it begins to do, deaf to reason and advice, excited by trifling causes, awkward at perceiving what is true and just, and very like a falling rock which breaks itself to pieces upon the very thing which it crushes.\u201d -Seneca<\/em><\/p>\n

And<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever you get angry, Caesar, do not say or do anything before repeating to yourself the twenty-four letters of the alphabet.\u201c <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Athenodorus<\/em><\/p>\n

And wrote himself letters of his frustration. After drafting the letter, he read it, sealed it, and did not mail it. Instead, he just put it in his drawer.<\/p>\n

After a few hours had passed, Lincoln came back to open up the drawer, take out the letter, and read it again. Most of the time, he found that his anger had abated. There was no need to send the letter, or to keep on being angry. The time in between writing the letter, and then reading it again cooled him down. In that way he could \u201cattend to the matter with a clearer eye<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

15. Stay in the saddle.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>There is an old German word sitzfleisch which means basically sitting your butt in the chair and not getting up until the task is complete. Even as it feels numb, even as one by one, the people around you call it a day. Showing up yourself, day after day, until your back aches, your eyes water, and your limbs turn to mush. Many a brave conqueror in the days of horseback were called \u201cOld Iron Ass\u201d for their ability to stay in the saddle.<\/p>\n

Napoleon Hill called it in PMA Science of Success \u201cDefinite of Purpose and Going The Extra Mile\u201d. This means completing your main objective and performing above and beyond what you’re paid for. Even if you don\u2019t get noticed at your current job, eventually your attitude will speak for you, and you will be noticed and appreciated.<\/span><\/p>\n

16. Get back up when you fall.<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s wonderfully fitting that in both the Zen tradition and the Bible, we have a version of the proverb about falling down seven times and rising up eight. Even the most self-disciplined of us will stumble. Marcus Aurelius said it was inevitable to be jarred by circumstances. However, the key was to get back the rhythm as quickly as possible, to come back to yourself, rather than giving in.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Darren Hardy advises in The Compound Effect, ask yourself how long it will take for you to recover from a stressful situation: 20 days, 2 weeks, 2 days, 2 hours, or 20 seconds?<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, every human walking today felt a lot as a child and still does from time to time.<\/span><\/p>\n

17. Find your comrades.<\/span><\/strong> The Spartan lawgiver Lycurgus introduced the common mess hall and required that all citizens eat together. It was difficult to eat more than your fair share, more than your healthy share, when you were surrounded by your comrades in battle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Above all, be a comrade!<\/span><\/p>\n

18. Be a tiny bit deaf.<\/span><\/strong> We have to develop the ability to ignore, to endure, to forget. Not just cruel provocations from jerks, but also unintentional slights and mistakes from people we love or respect. \u201cIt helps to be a bit deaf,\u201d was the advice that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was given by her mother-in-law. It helped guide her through not just 56 years of marriage, but also a 27-year career on the court with colleagues she adored, but disagreed with on a regular basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Being a tiny bit deaf is more about looking for the good in every situation rather than feeding the ego as is a custom in today\u2019s world.<\/span><\/p>\n

19. Speak little.<\/strong>
\nRobert Greene puts it perfectly: \u201cPowerful people impress and intimidate by saying less.\u201d They have the discipline and this discipline creates a powerful presence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Zeno put it beautifully, \u201cWe have two ears and one mouth, therefore we should listen twice as much as we speak.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s isn\u2019t easy, though achievable!<\/span><\/p>\n

20. Focus. <\/span><\/strong>Ludwig van Beethoven was known for drifting off in social conversations. Are you even listening to me, a friend once asked. Sorry, Beethoven replied, \u201cI was just occupied with such a lovely, deep thought, I couldn\u2019t bear to be disturbed.\u201d They called this his raptus. His flow state. His place of deep work. His intense periods of concentration. The source of his musical greatness. We can all develop this skill. As Steve Jobs, speaking to his top designer Jonny Ive, would explain, \u201cfocus is not this thing you aspire to\u2026or something you do on Monday. It\u2019s something you do every minute.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

21. Slow down. <\/span>There\u2019s a difference between hustling (starting your own business, learning new skills, writing a book\u2026) and hurrying. They like to say in the military that slow is smooth and smooth is fast. In ancient Rome, the phrase was festina lente. That is, to proceed slowly. Energy plus moderation. Measured exertion. Eagerness, but under control. Just as Ryan Holiday quotes the poet Juan Ramon Jimenez \u201cSlowly,\u201d \u201cyou do everything correctly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

22. Be strict only with yourself.<\/span><\/strong> It was said that the true majesty of Marcus Aurelius was that his exactingness was directed only at himself. He found a way to work with flawed people, putting them to service for the good of the empire. He searched them for virtues which he celebrated, accepting their vices, which he knew were not under his control. Tolerant with others, he reminded himself, strict with yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n

23. Get the simple things right.<\/strong> Dating back, perhaps to time immemorial, is the poem and proverb about a horse. \u201cFor want of a nail, the shoe was lost,\u201d it begins. As a result of the shoe, the horse was lost. Due to the horse, the rider, and due to the rider, the message, and due to the message, the battle, and due to the battle, the kingdom. For want of a nail, the kingdom was lost. Because of poor discipline, everything was lost. Save yourself. Save the world. Get the simple things right.<\/span><\/p>\n

24. Beware of perfectionism.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t try to be a perfectionist, because you\u2019ll never beat Mother Nature. As Churchill said, another way to spell \u201cperfectionism\u201d is p-a-r-a-l-y-s-i-s. Again, it\u2019s okay to have high standards but all virtues become vices if taken too far. An obsession with getting it exactly right misses the forest for the trees\u2013because ultimately the biggest miss of the target is failing to get your shot off.<\/span><\/p>\n

25. Do your finest.<\/span><\/strong> In an interview with Admiral Hyman Rickover for a chance to join the nuclear submarine program, a young Jimmy Carter was asked how he ranked in his class at the Naval Academy. \u201c59th in a class of 840 sir,\u201d Carter replied with pride. Rickover followed up with, \u201cDid you always do your best?\u201d Carter began to instinctively answer that of course he always did his very best, but something inside of him caused him to pause and reconsider. \u201cNo, sir, I didn\u2019t always do my best.\u201d Rickover didn\u2019t say anything and just looked at Carter for a long time. Then he stood up, asked one final question, \u201cWhy not?\u201d, and walked out of the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

__<\/span><\/p>\n

The Stoics believed that, in the end, it\u2019s not about what we do, it\u2019s about who we are when we do it. They believed that anything you do well is noble, no matter how humble or impressive, as long as it\u2019s the right thing. That greatness is up to you\u2014it\u2019s what you bring to everything you do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Temperance, as Cicero claimed, can be the fine polish on top of a prosperous life.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a palace or a throne that makes someone impressive, the Stoics would say, but kingly behavior that does. It\u2019s discipline, self-control. He wasn\u2019t after power or status, he said, but, \u201cperfection of character: to live your last day, every day, without frenzy or sloth or pretense.\u201d He was after becoming the most polished version of himself possible, putting a fine polish on top of everything he did, no matter how humble or impressive.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Habits section, PMA Science of Success, 1928, Napoleon Hill said that even with 24 hours in a day, anyone can succeed in any pursuit they set their minds to by using the hours left over after work and before sleep. And after a closer examination, I have found out that it\u2019s very true. That is how Peter Stordalen, and Kjell Inge R\u00f8kke – two Norwegian entrepreneurs – have built their emporiums among others.<\/span><\/p>\n

The aim of PMA Science of Habit is to teach you how to harness the powers of self-discipline. The Stoics believed that we are all born to fulfill a meaningful destiny. The pursuit of everyone’s destiny can be achieved with self-discipline and self-control, even though not everyone’s destiny is the same. In PMA Science of Habit, you will learn how to fulfill yours.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because we\u2019d like to encourage you to master Self-Discipline right now, this blog was put together for you!<\/span><\/p>\n

Cheers,<\/span><\/p>\n

Jay <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PMA Science of Habit Blog Bonus: 25 Habits That Will Guarantee Your Mental Success The ancient Stoics were fond of an expression: You make character your fate. It means that character is deterministic, that who you are determines what you will be and do. Of course, if you choose to determine your character. Self-discipline is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-pma-science"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/pmascience.com\/jaypacheco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/636354DF-EC5C-4615.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pmascience.com\/jaypacheco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pmascience.com\/jaypacheco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pmascience.com\/jaypacheco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pmascience.com\/jaypacheco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pmascience.com\/jaypacheco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pmascience.com\/jaypacheco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2777\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pmascience.com\/jaypacheco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pmascience.com\/jaypacheco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pmascience.com\/jaypacheco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pmascience.com\/jaypacheco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}