If you want to be disciplined, you have to have a strong why. We only modify our behavior when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of changing. When your why is compelling, it creates a pathway of discipline. We only change our behavior when our fundamental belief about our behavior changes. The benefit of changing must surpass the comfort of staying. Discipline is hard. I read a meme on Facebook the other day that stated: “Losing weight is hard, being overweight is hard…choose your hard.” Being intentional is not an easy feat, but the payoff is huge.   

But, the truth is none of us wakes up desiring to take the harder road. The human brain is designed to take the path of least resistance. It seeks the simplest, most non-confrontational approach to life. For example, it is scientifically proven that our brains are always trying to find a way to burn as little calories as possible in an effort of self-preservation. In this way, taking the path of least resistance is not necessarily a bad thing; it can be a means of survival. 

In order to concentrate, your brain is wired to focus on only what it absolutely needs to focus on. This is why you have voluntary and involuntary actions. It’s necessary for your brain to think through how your hands need to move as you type on a keyboard, but you don’t have to think about your heart beating in order to keep your blood pumping. Your body automatically does that without you having to consciously think about it. Likewise, you don’t have to tell your body to breathe in order to keep yourself from suffocating. Your brain eliminates the need for you to consciously think about these involuntary actions so that your mental energy is reserved to focus on other voluntary tasks. 

There are times, however, when thinking with a path of least resistance mindset can stunt your growth. Because we are excuse-filled beings who always try to take the easy route, we have to train our brains so that they don’t backfire on us. In order to live life to the fullest, we can’t let our brains do whatever they want; we have to transform them to operate in a way that moves us from surviving mode to thriving mode––and this takes intentionality. 

Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Telling yourself that you can do something will cause your brain to work on figuring out how to make it a reality. In the same way, if you tell yourself you can’t do something, your brain will go to work figuring out every excuse to make that belief a reality, too. When you eliminate your excuses, you liberate your potential. Transform what you tell yourself and you’ll transform what you can do. You’ll be successful when your dreams are bigger than your excuses. Your why has to be bigger than your why not. If you lose your why, you’ll lose your way.