The real reason

You're not skipping the chore. You're choosing the reward.

Think about the last time you said, “I can’t be bothered cooking tonight—let’s go out to dinner.”

At face value, as my mum would say, “Bone idle.” But is it?

If it were just about avoiding work, you’d eat 2-min noodles over the sink. The truth is more honest than that. You’re not running from the kitchen—you’re running toward something different. The atmosphere. The pleasure hit from food you didn’t have to plan. Time to actually talk to the person across from you, all without the dishes waiting.

We do this all the time. Why? To avoid the real reason; instead substituting in a lame excuse to hide what we really covet.

We say we’re too tired for the gym—we really just want a break. We say we need a coffee for the caffeine—we really crave the ritual. We say we bought it because it was on sale—we really just wanted something new. I have to go to Melbourne tonight to coach—no, hey, I get to go and coach a group of talented cricketers in Melbourne tonight. I haven’t played golf for so long—just say you want to go golf.

Stop pitching your choices as idle escapes. Own the real reason.

You’re not skipping the chore. You’re choosing the reward. Own it, Nick. :)

Nick

Photo by David Tip on Unsplash