If you want to know a therapist’s totally unfiltered opinion about the biggest problem that undermines most people’s shot at personal happiness, I think it boils down to a lack of self-discipline. Let’s face it, we all have a pretty good sense of the changes we would need to make, or the habits we would need to adopt, in order to thrive and be healthy, but very few of us are actually willing to do the work it takes to get there. Emphasis on the word willing. Humans do have the gift of free will, but only a select few of us have come to regard our will as a living, breathing force of its own — one that goes to work in service of our best interests, as long as we communicate with it regularly, and treat it like our own personal, highly valued, Employee of the Month. Instead, most people allow themselves to get bandied about by their emotions. So they say mealy-mouthed things like, well, I wanted to go the gym this morning, but when I woke up I really didn’t feel like it. These are the people who don’t take the power of their own free will seriously — and, by extension, they never get to take themselves seriously. If you want a fun and effective way to start making your will go to work for you, try this. First, make sure your hair is clean and brushed, your face is washed, and your posture is good. Stand in front of your bathroom mirror, and look at yourself directly in your eyes. Then repeat this mantra to yourself slowly, perhaps several times, in order to really let it sink in. The definition of serious is me. The definition of serious is me. The definition of serious is me. Then smile at yourself as authentically as possible. The smile is a foreshadowing of the pride, the satisfaction, and the joy you are about to experience, now that you have a loyal partner in service of you: your own free and faithful will. ❤️‍🔥— E.S.