Disgust is what makes people say, okay I’m ready.

March 18, 2017 3:14 PM

The average person knows what they should be doing. They know that they want to do it.

But the problem is, they’ve already convinced themselves that they can’t. They’ve gone under hypnosis.

And so, the only remaining route to real change is through tension. Because it possesses its own generative drive, which gives rise to an impetus to move toward a resolution.

Louie’s comedy special perfectly summarizes his version of this tension as an overweight, middle aged man. He says:

The meal isn’t over when I’m full, the meal is over when I hate myself.

Which is a horribly unhealthy way to go through life. But most people are guilty of it. We’ve all finished dinner and sat back in our chairs and lifted our shirts to undo the top button of our pants, only to discover that it was already open.

What’s interesting is, that little moment actually has the power to change everything. Because it contains positive tension. It creates an emotional dynamic that moves people forward.

In this case of eating habits, it’s disgust, which is one of the few feelings in life that actually makes people say, okay, I’m ready. I feel more open to changing.

And not to neglect the sense of compassion and acceptance and love and worthiness for ourselves, but sometimes we need to feel disgusted with our health or our career or our relationships or our station in life in order to create a real breakthrough.

It reminds me of college. When I first arrived on campus, I didn’t like the people, didn’t like the parties, and I didn’t like the fact that every event centered around drugs and alcohol.

And so, I chronically isolated myself. I went to class, went to the gym, and then hibernated in my dorm room until the day was done. Fun times.

But after two years of that antisocial existence, I finally reached the point of disgust. Something had to change.

That’s when I decided to start wearing a nametag. All day, every day. Just to see what happened.

And it turned my entire world upside down. In the best possible way.

The rest was history.

That’s the power of positive tension.

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Are you trying to rid your life of disgust, or trying to do something more creative with it?

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Scott Ginsberg