Monday Musings - Episode 142 - Constant play between Instant Gratification Monkey, Rational Decision-Maker and Panic Monster
MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 – EPISODE 142
31st January 2022
Constant Play between Instant Gratification Monkey, Rational Decision Maker and Panic Monster
When Instant Gratification Monkey wins over Rational Decision Maker
Our mind is constantly pulled by three different characters and they are Instant Gratification Monkey, Rational Decision-maker & Panic Monster. Let us see how these work with each other in a procrastinator's mind.
In procrastinators, ‘#InstantGratificationMonkey’ is bigger, stronger, louder and takes control than in those steadfast people who embody rational thinking.
Instant Gratification Monkey thinks?only?about the present, ignoring lessons from the past and disregarding the future altogether, and he concerns himself entirely with maximizing the ease and pleasure of the current moment. He doesn’t understand the #RationalDecision-Maker any better than the Rational Decision-Maker understands him.
‘Instant Gratification Monkey’ lives happy all the time but why is it an issue? Did I not exhilarate in an earlier episode the importance of living happy? (Happiness is a chapter in my book #GrandmaInTheBoardroom), Do you think I am contradicting my own statement? Many ask me the same question. Let me explain.
‘Instant Gratification Monkey’ is an ideal creature for a monkey world. If you eat when you’re hungry, sleep when you’re tired, and don’t do anything difficult, you’re a pretty successful monkey. The problem for the procrastinator besieged by the ‘Instant Gratification Monkey’ is that he/she happens to live in the human world but trying to be a successful monkey.
Rational Decision-Maker, who was trained to make rational decisions, doesn’t know how to put up an effective fight—he just feels worse and worse about himself the more he surrenders meekly to the monkey mind. Remember, I said multiple times earlier that it is very important to feel high about you and ‘Instant Gratification Monkey’ will not allow you to feel that. How?
#WhyYourPlaygroundIsDark?
With the monkey in charge, the procrastinator finds himself spending a lot of time in a place called the #DarkPlayground.
How can a playground be dark? Playgrounds are happy meeting places. How to brighten our playgrounds?
Dark Playground is a place where leisure activities happen at times when leisure activities are not supposed to be happening. The fun you have in the Dark Playground isn’t actually fun because it’s completely unearned and the air is filled with guilt, anxiety, self-hatred, and dread. Sometimes the Rational Decision-Maker puts his foot down and refuses to let you waste time doing normal leisure things, and since the Instant Gratification Monkey sure as hell isn’t gonna let you work, you find yourself in a bizarre situation where you neither enjoy the leisure nor get your work done.
Typical example for a Dark Playground is Sugreeva's 'Madhuvan' in our Ramayan Story. Fun, vanara soldiers had at 'Madhuvan' was untimely and premature and hence it turned out to be a Dark Playground and not a celebration. It would have become a well deserved celebration had it been taken after informing Lord Rama.
What happens in the end?
As it turns out, there’s one thing that scares the shit out of the Instant Gratification Monkey:
#TimeFor‘ThePanicMonster’
The #PanicMonster is dormant most of the time, but he suddenly wakes up when a deadline gets too close or when there’s danger of public embarrassment, a career disaster, or some other scary consequence.
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The Instant Gratification Monkey, normally unshakable, is terrified of the Panic Monster, but only in the case of a lucky procrastinator, like Angad and the monkeys in our Ramayan story. They realized that ‘Madhuvan’ is their dark playground, though little late.
#WhatHappensIfThe‘PanicMonster’IsAlsoSuppressed?
There are some who don’t even respond to the Panic Monster. They permanently remain under the control of ‘Instant Gratification Monkey’. ?Panic Monster cannot scar them. Lord Ram only can help these monkeys who have taken birth in the human world by mistake. Sorry, let me refrain from insulting monkeys.
Perils of ‘Panic Monster’ taking control
Next rational question, “If the Panic Monster can get the job done somehow by burning midnight oil in a lucky procrastinator, what is wrong in yielding to ‘Instant Gratification Monkey’ as long as the Panic Monster can give the alarm signal at the right time”.?Is it not good to enjoy some fun when there is no ‘Panic Monster’? No.
1.???It’s unpleasant - Panic isn’t fun for anyone and the time spent in ‘Dark Playground’ is wasted time anyway.
2.???The procrastinator ultimately sells himself/herself short.?He/She ends up underachieving and fails to reach his/her potential, which eats away at him/her over time and fills him/her with regret and self-loathing.
3.???The Have-To-Dos may happen, but not the Want-To-Dos.? Panic Monster may show up and get things done at the eleventh hour at times but not always. Unfortunately, ‘Panic Monster’ is very selective. ‘Panic Monster’ requires an external influence to take the control back from the ‘Instant Gratification Monkey’. ‘Panic Monster’ does not win for things like getting in shape, learning a skill, writing a book, reading, or even making a bold career switch. Undertakings like those expand our experiences, make our lives richer, and bring us a lot of happiness—and for most procrastinators, they get left in the dust. Only ‘Rational Decision Maker’ can help for these.
?OK. How to make our ‘Rational Decision Maker’ win over ‘Instant Gratification Monkey’ all the time??We shall learn in the next episode of ‘Monday Musings’. Until then, enjoy your leisure but as long as it is in the shared area to which your 'Instant Gratification Monkey' as well as the 'Rational Decision-Maker' agree. Yes, there are things which both agree.
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GOOD NEWS
Authored and posted by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com) every monday as the newsletter MONDAY MUSINGS. Please subscribe to MONDAY MUSINGS newsletter to read positive news every Monday.
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Negotiation & Influencing trainer/teacher | Super Skills Trainer | Creator Negotiation Arena | 3x Author including Wintastic Deals - world's first Negotiation comic | Founder Propelurs Consulting | John Maxwell Team
3 年This is so relevant. The Rational decesion maker has helped me all along the way in the last few years as I have made several bold and interesting decisions.