Negative thinking is a superpower when used correctly.
I was bored and wanted a way to kill time, so I downloaded a game.
It was like many other games.
You had a character to strengthen and build. You collected gems, coins, and experience by completing daily tasks and missions. You collected equipment and weapons that could be upgraded to powerful items.
Of course, I could have paid for upgrades and equipment, but I did not want to spend any money. That meant that I would have to grind through the game.
I found myself being rewarded for playing all the daily events. I would watch lots of ads so that I could earn free equipment and gems so that I could get even better rewards.
I was learning, collecting, and slowly growing stronger. I was steadily advancing to the upper levels. I had joined a clan and was working with them to gather even more prizes. I was enjoying the game and spent a lot of time on it every day.
After a few months, I started noticing the amount of time I was playing was significant.
When I woke up in the morning, I would immediately play the game to collect the rewards that had stacked up over the night. I had built routines throughout the day related to the game. Whenever I had downtime, I would log on and collect rewards and use up the energy tokens I had accumulated that allowed me to play events.
I estimate I was spending several hours on it every day.
I started to think I should quit, but a part of me really didn’t want all the effort I had put into the game to go to waste. I was close to upgrading to some of the best weapons and equipment. There were a lot of new events to earn even more new and powerful equipment. I didn’t want to let the clan down.
Slow Realization
I realized that I was addicted to playing the game. In addition to playing throughout the day, I was playing just before going to bed and right after waking up.
This was keeping me from doing what I wanted to do.
I wanted to wake up in the mornings and start my day strong. It was sapping my willpower to work on the things that were important to me, and I was using it as a way to procrastinate on the things I had promised myself to get finished.
I Had to Give up Playing the Game
Years ago, I had read in Awaken the Giant by Tony Robbins that when the pain of staying the same is greater than the change of pain, change happens.
“Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.” Tony Robbins
This happens with a lot of people. They have a heart attack, and suddenly they change their habits to become healthier. They almost get fired, and they become better employees. They hate their current situation so much that they make drastic changes to their life.
I applied this principle to my gaming addiction.
At first, I started thinking about all the things I really disliked about the game. The time wasted, the constant events, the new weapons which meant I had to start grinding again to try and get everything to upgrade those weapons. I thought about all the ways the game designers were doing to keep me playing.
The more I started thinking about this, the more I hated the game. I made out a long list of all the things I hated about the game.
After making my list, I found myself barely wanting to play the game. Within a few days of making the list, I deleted it from my phone.
The weird thing is that I thought that I would miss it, but I didn’t.
Sometimes, videos or news related to the game popped up on my social media, but I found I was no longer interested.
I had created such a long list of negatives, I found that I was happy I was no longer playing it.
How to Apply this to Your Own Life
You can apply this to a lot of areas in your life.
If you are doing something that you really want to change, make a list of everything negative you can think of related to what you want to change.
If you want to reduce eating sugary foods, start making a list. What is sugar doing to my body? What will happen if I don’t stop? Do a search and listen or read what others have to say. Ask ChatGPT for a list of negatives.
Make the pain so big it outweighs staying as you are. Go over your list daily. Let it fester. The longer it festers, the sooner you will make change.
Every time you start to revert to your old ways, just pull out the list and remind yourself of all the negatives.
“The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you’re in control of your life. If you don’t, life controls you.” Tony Robbins
Using pain to stop is a superpower.
Our brain is wired to protect us and tries to push us away when it feels negative emotions tied to our thoughts. Build those negative thoughts about the thing you want to quit and use your brain to help push you away.
The new year is just around the corner. Go into the new year with momentum and start working on one thing right now that can improve your life.
Be accountable and write below in the comments what you plan to stop.
Please sign up for my newsletter for more tips for creating a stronger mindset and overcoming procrastination.
