Skip to main content

Consequence

I believe it was George W. Bush (of all people), who once said, that an accountability system without a consequence is not an accountability system. Not that I would profess to be a fan of his, but as Trump replied on when asked if he wanted to be associated with a fascist because he quoted Mussolini, 'No I do not want to be associated with Mussolini but I wanted to be associated with interesting quotes".

Though before I get off topic as I regularly do of late, I felt it was worth sharing a type of technique that I had tried out to achieve a couple of my long due goals and maybe explore the psychology behind why it worked. I cannot recall how the idea came into my mind (perhaps during one of the long wannabe-meditative walks that ends up with a well crafted story of how I was actually a secret superhero about to wreak vengeance on all the bad guys in the world). The method was simple. Get a group of friends and every friend in the group had to set a goal, that was to be approved by the rest, and whose non-completion within a month would result in a 50 dollar fine.

In the process, I went on a date, a goal my friends set for me to save me from social reclusiveness (#donttellthedate). Plus I kicked a habit (at least for a month) that I had been trying unsuccessfully for years. The former was an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone, the second a chance to restore a greater degree of self-control in my life, both beneficial in their own ways. My interest was piqued on why it took such a bet to achieve goals that had clear cut long term benefits to the self. It was obvious how easily immediate gratification takes precedence over the things that really mattered in the long run something which is not entirely our fault, with the endless distractions and the constant fatigue. Therefore the only way to take on an immediate pleasure was to have an immediate pain, and as humans are more aversive to pain than attracted to pleasure, it worked.

Though as a word of caution I have to state in my bet group, it was only me that ended up achieving the goal, while the remaining three have neither achieved theirs nor paid up. So for the method to work, one does need to have a desire to achieve the goal (rest did not share my enthusiasm in the idea) and be willing to pay the price if it is not achieved. However, when your goal, your ambitions or even your life is at stake, is 50 dollars too high a price to pay?

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Journey to the West : Mind Your Language

"Lettuce, tomatoes, onions and spinach", I pointed out to the lady wearing the apron behind the counter. She looked at me questioningly. "LET-USE, TOE-MAT-OH, OH-NION, SPEA-NATCH", I repeated with better enunciation. She looked back down at the the multiple compartments of colourful mix of vegetables, leaves and fruits and methodically grabbed some from each, while repeating the names of the ones she grabbed. "Let-us, Toe-mado, Ah-nion, Spee-Nuch", she clarified. I shrank a bit in embarrassment. With every passing day in the country, my belief that the English education that I received in a former British Colony, that set high and rarely achieved standards in English for its students, was of substandard quality, strengthens. In a well intentioned effort to assimilate, I have over the past couple of months tried to mimic the pronunciation of the Texans. "Howz'it goin man?" "Ye'no"   "Can I ha...

An Eye for an Eye

"Something that three or four years ago you told me was one of the touchstones of maturity: being nice to people even when they’re not nice to you…" - William Styron It was an plan that came out of nowhere. Perhaps half depressed by the winter and half depressed by the inactivity at work, there was sufficient turmoil in the mind to create these type of plans and then let it fester, until something that started off with a what-if turned into a why-not. It would have been the perfect revenge for the past hurt and humiliation that was yet to completely heal.  The circumstances were similar. On one side, an eager visitor who had traveled far to say "Hello" and on the other side, a host, bewildered and surprised by this visit. In the first case, the host would not receive the visitor, who would turn back humiliated and vowing never again. Now the roles were reversed and I was the host. What if I agreed to receive? What if in reality I did not plan to receive? ...

Another Day at the Office

"I am sorry, but are you good at IT?", she inquired with the most apologetic of expression. I gave her an incredulous look. Seriously? This was the second time I was being asked that question in one month and I took offense. It was almost as if the world judged that the only reason my race would be allowed to venture overseas was to fix other people's computers. "No. I am a production engineer", I replied, half wondering if I should clarify it had nothing to do with human production, which my people are also well known for. "Oh. That is a pity. Our printer broke down and we were wondering how to fix it", she said pointing to a piece of contraption that lay on the table nearby. Men being men, I offered to help. On walking over and looking into the inside of the contraption, I saw what most millennials see if they were to ever see the inside of the multiple devices they are perpetually holding onto; abyss. I doubted she would give me a discount f...