Disappointment & Willpower

The feeling you get when you do something you know you shouldn’t have done is disappointment (in self).

It’s a feeling that everybody is familiar with.

It’s crushing. It’s personal. It’s shameful.

We try to not do the things that makes us feel that way.

But oftentimes we indulge in things that aren’t what we wanted for ourselves.

We risk feeling disappointed in ourselves for a little bit of instant gratification.

We set rules → we get an opportunity to break it → we break it for short term pleasure → disappointment → repeat.

It’s a vicious loop.

What can be done?

I learned that there is a part of the brain called the AMCC (Anterior Mid-cingulate Cortex) that deals with willpower and tenacity.

The way to train this is by "embracing the suck". (doing hard things)

Pushing through something you don't want to do, or stopping yourself from doing something you really want to do that is not good for you.

When you set a goal for working out today, but you really don’t feel like doing it and want to skip it,

The AMCC grows when you workout even though you don’t feel like it.

When you want to stop eating junk, sugar and processed foods, but that Alfredo pasta is staring at your face with its creaminess...

But you decide to not order it even though you want it so bad, your AMCC grows.

It’s such a fascinating part of the brain that studies showed it’s larger in healthy people, athletes, super-agers (people who age well), high achievers.

It’s kinda become a personal challenge for me to not do the things that are not good for me even though I really wanna do them (like the alfredo pasta - note: once a month is okay)

Learning these tiny things about our brain, motivation, willpower really does help you self-analyse when you get the urge to do anything at all.

You can watch this podcast by Dr.Andrew Huberman (who is the GOAT for public knowledge of health)

Along with Rhonda Patrick, who is the GOAT for starting and spreading health information to the public online in the first place.

That’s it.

Maybe try taking it as a challenge with yourself to stop your cravings and urges to do the things you know are not good for you.

Tata,

Kapil.