Lazy or not directed by Authentic Desire?

You Misdiagnose Yourself

Let’s take one of the most common examples of self misdiagnoses - laziness. When we lack energy and enthusiasm we often conclude that we are lazy. Not knowing that more often than not laziness is not the problem but in fact it is a consequence of not knowing our authentic desires.

When we’ve identified true desire, we automatically feel fired up by it. When we know our authentic desire we couldn’t not advance towards it, even we tried. However, with the diagnosis of “laziness” in hand, we buy books on the subject, dutifully attend courses on motivation and then create social networks with those who have similar beliefs. One activity to the next and our life eventually congeals around our diagnosis. The danger particularly if we are psychologically-minded is that the journeys misdiagnoses take us on, though misguided, are psychologically fascinating and enthralling and can therefore carry on forever. At first we conclude that we are lazy, next we decide that we have commitment issues and finally we pull out the big guns, declaring that low self-worth has actually been the issue all along. On and on we go, one misdiagnosis leading to the next, wasting our energy, time, money and often our lives.

Until we are able to answer the question “what is my authentic desire?” we simply have no right to ask ourselves “what is wrong with me?”

Extract from "The Path of Authentic Desire —  7 Steps to Getting What You Want and going to the end of Who You Are."