365 Days With Self-Discipline: 365 Life-Altering Thoughts on Self-Control, Mental Resilience, and Success

Day 59: On Your Vices Masquerading as Virtues

No  vice  exists  which  does  not  pretend  to  be  more  or  less  like  some

virtue, and which does not take advantage of this assumed resemblance.

Jean de La Bruyère

 

56

Bad habits are so difficult to give up not only because they’re pleasant,

but also because they often masquerade as virtues. When you think of your

vice as a friend rather than your enemy, it’s even harder to eliminate it from

your life.

For  example,  people  who  sleep  in  and  suffer  from  low  productivity

might  claim  that,  thanks  to  staying  up  late,  they  have  a  great  social  life.

They fail to notice they’re paying too high a price for a benefit they could

obtain in a different way without jeopardizing their long-term goals.

I used to believe that it was good to jump from one business idea to

another. I thought that by trying different things, I would eventually find the

perfect idea that would magically grow into a successful business.

In reality, I lacked the self-discipline to focus and wasted several years

on  endeavors  that  were  destined  to  fail.  Were  there  some  benefits  in

spreading my attention so thin? Certainly. They weren’t more valuable than

what  I  was  losing,  though,  and  what  I  considered  a  virtue  was  actually  a

vice that was sabotaging my goals .

Are  there  any  vices  of  yours  that  might  masquerade  as  virtues?

Question your deeply-held beliefs and ask yourself if your supposed virtues

are indeed helpful, or perhaps they’re like a friend that gives you one dollar

with one hand while stealing five dollars from your wallet with the other.

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