"We do not admire the man of timid peace. We admire the man who embodies victorious effort; the man who never wrongs his neighbor, who is prompt to help a friend, but who has those virile qualities necessary to win in the stern strife of actual life. It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. In this life we get nothing save by effort. Freedom from effort in the present merely means that there has been stored up effort in the past." - Theodore Roosevelt, The Strenuous Life "We do not admire the man of timid peace." Why do I play the victim role? Why do I avoid responsibility for my actions? Why do I shrink from calling a friend or an accountability partner at temptation? "We admire the man who embodies victorious effort" Who is the man I want to be? Whose had success and how can I follow their example in recovery? What are the healthy habits and tools that I must embrace to have victory over PMO? "the man who never wrongs his neighbor, who is prompt to help a friend," How can I practice humility and rely on the community to walk away from PMO? How can I be there for other Fapstronauts? Who do I need on my journey to recovery? "but who has those virile qualities necessary to win in the stern strife of actual life." What's my legacy going to be? Will I use my strength and sexual energy for good? What's my hero's journey? "It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed." Am I willing to do whatever it takes to recover from PMO? What's holding me back? Why do I let relapse drive me to despair? How can gratitude help me get back up? "In this life we get nothing save by effort." Has anyone risen to success and fought to defend his position in life without the toil and strife of the strenuous life? What in my life is worth fighting for? "Freedom from effort in the present merely means that there has been stored up effort in the past." How can a healthy lifestyle with exercise, journaling, meditation, cooking, relationships, help me "store up effort" for when I'm next tempted to PMO? What are the behaviors I want to invest in, so that when I face a trigger, will turn to new outlets instead of PMO? -Philip1_6
Well said, @Philip1_6 . If you are like me, the appeal to PMO is that you can feel immediate relief and pleasure without any effort or creativity. So I think the trick is to find activities are wholesome, but at the same time enjoyable for you. If you are like me, you may occasionally find yourself in a slump, and you won't have energy to be creative or make effort. But if you have wholesome activities that you enjoy, then you will be able to do them naturally without much effort or creativity. I admit that it can be pretty hard to figure out what these activities would be, but I think your activities should be tailored to your tastes. I find that spending time on this website is both wholesome and enjoyable. But I would like to find a bigger variety of activities.
"We do not admire the man of timid peace." Hmmm, Mr. Roosevelt was definitely a man of good character and this is noble work applying vigorous effort to self cultivation, but let us not forget to find time for wholesome relaxation and embrace peace in our minds and hearts. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/emotional-fitness/201311/the-importance-allowing-yourself-relax https://www.psychologytoday.com/blo...3/how-deep-relaxation-affects-brain-chemistry Also Teddy was a man with a stick up his butt if you ask me. A good man, but he went to the grave with tension in his heart I assure you, http://www.amazon.com/Bully-Boy-Theodore-Roosevelts-Legacy/dp/0307237222#customerReviews We want to fortify our minds through diligent self improvement efforts but really man life is about being happy and finding peace, www.happify.com www.positivityblog.com