The Absolute Trap
Daily Chase #66
"I have to work out every single day."
"I’ll never eat sugar again."
"I have to meditate for 30 minutes daily."
These statements sound committed. Disciplined. Like the words of someone serious about change or health or excellence.
They're actually the words of someone setting themselves up to fail.
The problem with absolutes isn't that they're too ambitious — it's that they're too rigid. Life doesn't operate in absolutes. Life operates in rhythms, seasons, and circumstances that shift like weather.
When you declare you'll do something every single day without exception, you're not creating discipline. You're creating a house of cards. One missed day and the whole structure collapses. One slip and you're not just behind — you're a failure.
Real discipline isn't about perfection. It's about consistency over time. It's about getting back up quickly when you fall down, not about never falling down.
The people who sustain healthy habits for decades don't follow rigid rules. They follow flexible principles. They understand that missing one day doesn't negate a hundred good days. They know that progress isn't linear and perfectionism is the enemy of progress.
Instead of "I must exercise every day," try "I make movement a priority in my life."
Instead of "I’ll never eat sugar," try "I choose foods that serve my body most of the time."
This isn't about lowering standards but about building systems that last. Systems that bend without breaking. Systems that work with human nature instead of against it.
The goal isn't to be perfect for a month.
It's to be consistently good for a lifetime.
I find it fascinating that we fall into this trap. I am guilty of it all the time and I can never understand why input such pressure and stress on myself.
Patrick, I liked your pillar about congruency. Have you ever posted anything about that or could you?