In our daily lives there are so many distractions, that it often quite difficult to be productive. Some of these distractions are apparent, the television, social media, your smartphone (which all can be positive in normal consumption) but others have a deeper mental seating and are much more difficult to eradicate. These distractions are called bad habits. Bad habits are perhaps the number one cause of loss of productivity, they lead to procrastination, worry, anxiety and simply bring negative energy into one's life. It is often easier to do the thing that is detrimental to one's well being than to do the action that has a positive impact, because often the prior *feels better* than the latter.

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/k4tQXqh.jpg" width="500">
[Source](http://i.imgur.com/k4tQXqh.jpg)

Ancient civilizations write of demons who are monster-like in stature, and whose appearances are horrifying. A reader who takes these depictions literally will never get the underlying message that these civilizations were trying to bring to their people. Today there are demons all around us who are taking away our productivity, our focus, our positive attitude, and well being. These demons do not have sharp teeth or large horns protruding from their heads, but rather are often internal to us, fueling our bad habits through the body's constant addiction of neural chemicals such as dopamine which in excess have shown to cause a definite loss of focus and productivity.

So then what is the remedy to this woe? How can we awaken our inner warrior who can stand up against the internal demons that constantly block us from reaching our potential? The number one key to this is to have self-discipline. In today's modern society, generally a parent disciplines their child until they reach a certain age, and after that age they gain complete freedom. The flaw in this system is that upon gaining freedom, the bull that was waiting to run wild has been unleashed, the once child often does not have any idea of self discipline and over-indulges in those actions that bring about a loss in well being. "My mother tells me to go to bed at 11pm every night and looks out for my health," they used to say. Now they say, "I usually don't come back to my apartment from the club until after 3am, and I'm usually late for work, I've had a sharp pain in my lower back for ages." Indulgence, by all means is not bad, if there is control and discipline. As Professor Oak from Pokemon says, "There is a time and place for everything. But not now."

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/GNCjOD7.jpg" width="500">
[Source](http://i.imgur.com/GNCjOD7.jpg)

Focus. Perhaps no other five letter word has enough impact in our lives. When one's full focus is on a single task, they seem to do a lot better than if they were multitasking. Humans are not web browsers, we can't keep track of multiple tabs and expect to excel in every single one. Zen Buddhism expounds the quality of being focused on a single task, to have a mind that does not waiver from it. If you are working, only focus on your work and you will find that the quality of work that you produce will be better. If you are loving, only focus on love and you will find that your love will be stronger in the long run. The greatest athletes and artists had a high level of focus on their expertise. Nikola Tesla was focused on the science of electricity and magnetism. Michael Jordan had no other focus than on basketball during his time on the Bulls. Picasso's focus was on art. Mozart's focus was on music. Get lost in your passion, and you will achieve true focus. Often when one is focused on something they are passionate about, they lose track of time. "Is it already tomorrow?" they say. 

The biggest problem that faces men who want to start any recurring task, whether it is to cultivate a good habit or destroying a bad habit is persisting. Many people have New Year's resolutions but it would be interesting to see how many of those people persist at keeping their resolutions. "My New Year's resolution was to give up my donut addiction," said one fellow. Around a month into the new year, the man sees a sign for $1 a jelly filled donut, and the temptation is just too great in the moment. "The deal was just too good to pass up," he says afterwards with a jelly smeared face. If he just went the extra mile and had persistence, the various health problems that came to him in old age would be nonexistent. 

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/ZsbDIow.jpg" width="500">
[Source](http://i.imgur.com/ZsbDIow.jpg)

One time a group of men were digging in a spot known to contain diamonds. They dug for days but finally gave up crossing the situation off as hopeless. Little did  they know, that one more exertion of their strength would have hit upon a trove of diamonds. It is often true that you need to know when to give up, that one must not be stubborn, but at the same time if we give up too easily we are doing a disservice to ourselves and letting the internal demons that live within us grow stronger. 

## *Don't let your inner demons grow stronger, have discipline, be focused, and be persistent. Your efforts will be rewarded.*
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<h2>#motivation #self-help #focus #persistence</h2>