You always have a choice. It's your life to live. Support the podcast and become a Patreon. Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Getting out of the zero-sum mindset. Don't think of it as choosing between work and play. Support the podcast and become a Patreon. Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

We make it harder than it needs to be. Support the podcast and become a Patreon. Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Stop beating yourself up when you don't live up to expectations. Support the podcast and become a Patreon. Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Uncertainty is a scary thing. Especially when being an adult often means learning to "suck it up" and "deal with it". But where are the instructions on how to do that? Thank you for supporting Inner Monkey on Patreon! Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

The success of others highlights how much of a failure I am. Sometimes I wonder why I even both working so hard when I can never seem to catch up. Thank you Evan for supporting Inner Monkey on Patreon! Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

When life smacks me around, I want to run away. And when various aspects of my life gang up to bully me, I want to hide. When I feel overwhelmed by life, I need to find a way to turn it around instead of making it worse by ignoring everything. Thank you Dylan for supporting Inner Monkey on Patreon! Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

I never want to do the dishes, so they just pile up and make my living space feel cluttered and gross. It's a simple task that I acknowledge I should do, yet I avoid it. I need to understand why I resist such a simple chore so I can get myself to do it. Inner Monkey Shirts at Cotton Bureau Thank you John for supporting Inner Monkey on Patreon! Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Setting goals and resolutions are easy. They take no real effort. Following through is where I fall down. It's so easy to put stuff off, to fall into traps I've set for myself. It's only by following through that I can do what it takes to achieve my goals. Thank you Phil for supporting Inner Monkey on Patreon! Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Procrastination can also be the result of simple laziness. Sometimes I just don't want to do something even though it's for my own good. I'm not afraid of it or trying to avoid it, I just don't care enough right now to do anything about. Deadlines can provide the motivation to overcome laziness but I need to be careful not to introduce so much pressure that I feel anxious about the deadline and procrastinate just to avoid it. Thank you Urspo for supporting Inner Monkey on Patreon! Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

We all know procrastination is bad, but we do it anyway. Procrastination is the symptom of a deeper issue, it's the avoidance of anxiety. Deadlines create anxiety and we react to anxiety by procrastinating. In order to stop procrastinating, we need treat address the cause and not the symptom. Thank you Aruna! For supporting Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

We can't avoid mornings. They're a part of literally every day life. And by making our mornings better, we can make a big impact on the quality of our lives. Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Getting lost in regret can leave me paralyzed and unable to do anything. Learning from the past is important, but I can't get lost in it, or it'll only distract me from the present and building the life I want to live. Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

No one wants to do boring, tedious stuff, like practice. But if I want to achieve certain things, I need to find a way to get over this. Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Self-Control presumes I have full control over my decisions. I don't, otherwise I wouldn't need to actively control myself. So what if I try a different approach. What if stop trusting myself to make the right decisions and try to prevent myself from making wrong decisions instead? Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

It's hard to work towards big dreams, because they're so intimidating. I struggle to get started because the road ahead is long and daunting. The more I dream the worse this becomes. If I want to achieve my dreams, I need to stop thinking about them and focus on the present. Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Confidence is hard to find, not because it's hiding, but because I don't know where to look. Confidence is believing in yourself, but that's hard to do when I never feel like I'm good enough and this is the problem. I can't accept who I am, because I'm too busy wishing I was something more. Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

It's tempting to focus on jump-starting motivation, but it's even more important to look at how to maintain it and keep it from slipping away. One of the ways motivation slips away, is through unexpected hiccups that derail our plans. While, it's convenient to pretend they're unexpected, often, we choose to blind ourselves to the obvious. Why do we do this? And how can we keep our eyes focused on what's truly ahead? Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Goals are important. The more important it is, the bigger and more daunting it tends to be. But the more daunting, the more likely I am to find an excuse not to complete it. This ends with never achieving what really matters. Breaking down big scary goals into small bite-sized ones ends this vicious circle and allows me to make the progress I want. Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Some decisions are terrifying to make, especially when they will have a big impact on my future. But if I can't face these decisions head on, I'll never be able to move forward. Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen