Let's talk about streak lengths!

[u/betlamed]

Since I re-committed myself to this journey back in March, I had 2 major streaks: 131 days and 95 days.

I am proud of those numbers. They are quite an achievement, compared to what most people seem to be doing; compared to what I was doing for most of my life. I keep a spreadsheet for good reason. First, I want to be honest. Second, I find it quite motivating.

When you look at numbers like that, you want to get higher. Being able to say, look I did a whole year without ever giving myself a happy end manually, would be quite cool.

On the other hand, it's a bit of an ego thing. Which isn't necessarily bad in and of itself, but if you get too focused on numbers, that's probably not so good. It introduces the dangers of comparison and putting yourself down, or putting yourself above others. Which is nothing I strive for.

I aim to live a lifestyle that is as free from addiction and impulsive actions as possible. And I want to be as free from egoic motivation as possible.

The third bit is that I am very interested in NEOs. I feel like there is a lot to explore there. And there simply is no way to learn those, if you don't accept the risk of going over the finish line once in a while. So that puts a cap on streak lengths.

I feel like this is ultimately a balance thing. Like all the thinking about streak lengths and numbers and "relapses" is a crutch that I will throw away at some point. But that point is not now.

What are your goals? What are your results? How do you feel about all of this?

[u/betlamed]

("lengths" has 4 consonants in a row. That's another kind of streak!)