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“What we call weakness is often a strategy that’s outlived its use.”
How to defeat your vices:
Don’t start by fighting them.
Start by asking:
“What is this trying to give me?”
Overeating might be offering comfort.
Scrolling your phone might be offering escape.
Skipping the gym might be offering protection from failure.
Every behavior has a purpose — even if it’s not working anymore.
Here’s the tip:
Before you try to fix the habit, understand the need.
Then, replace the strategy — not the need.
Need comfort? Call someone who gets it.
Need escape? Take a walk with music instead of TikTok.
Need rest? Block 10 minutes to lie down instead of crashing for 3 hours.
When you meet the need better, the vice starts to lose its grip.
And as that grip weakens, it begins to fall away — but only with consistent practice of your new strategy.
Set up fences.
I use an app blocker on my phone that makes social media browsing impossible unless I delete the app — and I’m not going through all that effort just to doomscroll.
Make the right choice easy.
Make the vice inconvenient.
And keep showing up.
I coach people through this stuff every day. [Come get the help most people never do.]
See you at the gym,
Jeff
PS – I’ve never emotionally eaten a salad. That’s why change takes strategy.
