Introduction

This virus shit is getting out of hand. Many of you are going to use this time to get weak as fuck and rationalize breaking your discipline. Don't. Stay strong and heed my advice. Although I wrote this as a chapter for my book, I figured I'd share it with the community that inspired me to get my shit together in the first place.

Godspeed.

1 Get Rid of Your Victim Mentality.

I have seen people with one leg running marathons using a prosthetic leg.

I have seen people with no arms in the gym doing leg presses.

I have seen people with stumps for legs (seated) overhead pressing 225 like it’s nothing.

Even if you can’t move physically (at all) you can get strong mentally. Go read. Stephen Hawking couldn’t bench 225 but he could solve the puzzles of the fucking universe. Hell, even Helen Keller made use of herself and couldn't see or hear.

The only excuses you have for weakness and mediocrity are rationalizations that are full of shit and have no ground in reality if you have an ounce of will.

Practically everybody that’s lacking strength is rationalizing their weakness through a shit ton of means instead of looking in the mirror and seeing themselves for what they are; complacent spineless cowards who need to get their lives together.

“Oh, I can’t lose weight… I’m naturally fat.”

“Oh, I can’t gain weight… I’m naturally skinny…”

“The universe hates me.”

“I just have bad luck.”

“Mercury is in retrograde.”

All of this smells like bitch to me. It’s amazing how far people will go to justify being mediocre. The purpose of this post is to talk a little bit about rationalizations and the nature of weakness so you can get your shit together and become the greatest possible version of yourself.

2 Understand Why We Rationalizatize.

Rationalizations are born out of a need to justify bad decisions and/or weakness.

Got drunk after you said you’d quit drinking again?

“Oh well, I had a rough week. I needed SOMETHING.”

Went back to your shitty ex-girlfriend because you were horny?

“I had to get this nut off somehow. She isn’t so bad…”

Cheating on your diet?

“It’s just ONE donut… and besides, I earned it.”

You get the point. Rationalizations “justify” bad decisions, lack of dedication, and weakness of will.

The next question is how exactly do we spot rationalizations and nip them in the bud before they end up manifesting itself as a weakness?

There are two types of rationalizations.

  • Before the act.

  • After the act.

3 Don't fall for Before the Act Rationalizations.

Before the act rationalizations are really simple. When you’re about to do something you know you shouldn’t do you begin thinking of reasons why you should.

“I worked hard on my last gym session… I can miss one, it won’t hurt.”

“I’m feeling really lonely… maybe she’s changed.”

“I don’t need to do x today, I can just do it tomorrow and I’ll be fine. Besides, I deserve a break.”

I needn’t go on.

This just takes will and self-control. Notice the rationalization and don’t fall for it. There’s no special trick; just don’t fall for it and stay focused on your goal.

4 How to Stop After the Act Rationalizations.

Rationalizations after the fact are dangerous. They justify being a failure and acting all high and mighty when you really ain’t shit. You already fucked up. The only thing you can do now is get back on the horse but know it’s going to be harder than when you first started. When you do something wrong and rationalize it afterward instead of berating and punishing yourself as you should be, you’re telling yourself it’s okay to fail and be an inferior human being.

It’s not okay to fail. Anybody who tells you otherwise is a loser themselves. When you fail you should get angry, you should be pissed, whoever is graceful in defeat is destined for defeat.

It’s not okay to be an inferior human being. This is self-explanatory. If it isn't, get out of the gene pool.

The only way to stop these kinds of rationalizations is to stop failing. Just stop. Is it gonna be easy? No. Is it going to be worth it? Do it and find out for yourself.

5 Understand Weakness.

Weakness is a lack of something that’s needed to achieve a goal.

Want to squat 600 pounds but can’t? You lack leg strength.

Want to approach that chick but can’t? You lack social strength.

Cracking under pressure when you want to be calm and composed? You lack mental strength.

Everything wrong with you is due to a weakness of some kind. Even if you were dealt a shitty hand by the game of life you'd better play the fuck out of that hand. Make the most of it.

Pinpoint your weaknesses through honest self-evaluation then fix them accordingly. The keyword is “honest.” Self-evaluation can quickly turn into self-delusion if you feed your ego. I’d rather be too hard on myself than too easy on myself; the former can still make you grow, the latter helps you stagnate and plateau.

6 Focus on stopping one and you'll stop the other.

The connection between rationalization and weakness cannot be overstated. You’re weak because you rationalize and you rationalize because you’re weak.

When you focus on stopping one or the other, you’ll notice that over time you stopped rationalizing AND being weak, assuming you’re putting in the work to actually grow.

Of course, there are those who stop rationalizing and are okay with weakness regardless. These people are hopeless. Don't worry about them. Chances are if you're browsing the subreddit you're probably not one of these people.

Anyway, I could go on but I've given you all the tools to succeed. Stop rationalizing your weaknesses. Get strong.

tldr; You’re weak because you rationalize and you rationalize because you’re weak.

Edit: Thanks Mundane-Violinist for catching my autistic formatting.