What have you recently tried, and failed at?

Emile

Kaj Sotala said:

[I]f you punish yourself for trying and failing, you stop wanting to try in the first place, as it becomes associated with the negative emotions. Also, accepting and being okay with the occasional failure makes you treat it as a genuine choice where you have agency, not something that you're forced to do against your will.

So maybe we should celebrate failed attempts more often ... I for one can't think of anything I've failed at recently, which is probably a sign that I'm not trying enough new things.

So, what specific things have you failed at recently?

Kaj Sotala said:

[I]f you punish yourself for trying and failing, you stop wanting to try in the first place, as it becomes associated with the negative emotions. Also, accepting and being okay with the occasional failure makes you treat it as a genuine choice where you have agency, not something that you're forced to do against your will.

So maybe we should celebrate failed attempts more often ... I for one can't think of anything I've failed at recently, which is probably a sign that I'm not trying enough new things.

So, what specific things have you failed at recently?

Sometimes when I'm reading his blog and I get angry at him, I imagine punching him. Then I punch myself.

O_O

I'd say that it seems like the problem is that getting angry somehow causes you to hit yourself (rather than that various things are making you angry), but it seems sufficiently obvious that my saying it wouldn't make any difference...

It's not "various things" that trigger me. At this point in my life, it's exclusively his blog/twitter account.

I'll be the first to admit that my reaction to his blog is ridiculously out of proportion. Yes, his opinions are asinine, but a lot of people say asinine things and they don't worked up like he does.

I guess I could try and break the connection between reading his blog and hitting myself, but I think it would be easier to just stop reading the blog altogether. It doesn't enlighten me and it just makes me angry. Almost any other site would be a better use of my time.

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What have you recently tried, and failed at?

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What have you recently tried, and failed at?

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