The Lazy Theory Test
Your mind is a brilliant defense attorney, building perfect excuses for inaction. Here's the simple test that exposes its favorite lie.
Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham said something fascinating about human nature:
"If you're trying to choose between two theories and one gives you an excuse for being lazy, the other one is probably right."
It's a simple test that cuts through our most sophisticated self-deception.
Your mind, you see, is a brilliant defense attorney.
It builds elaborate cases for why you shouldn't start. Why you can't launch. Why now isn't the moment.
Its favorite argument? "The conditions aren't right."
But when has change ever waited for perfect conditions?
Every meaningful project, every important work, every leap forward started before someone was ready. Before the timing was perfect. Before the doubt disappeared.
They didn't wait for conditions. They created them.
Next time you're choosing between two stories about why something won't work, try Graham's test:
Which story lets you off the hook?
That's the one that's lying to you.
Your mind might be a brilliant defense attorney. But in the court of making things happen, action is both judge and jury.
What story is your mind selling you today?
~ aq