Dr. Alok Kanojia

and just look at what on earth goes on inside you, you will discover that it is a zoo of thoughts, feelings, emotions, drives, panics, worries, distractions. Your internal environment is such a mess. So what we need to do is just kind of calm that stuff down by like just letting it kind of run out of steam. So this is a principle of the mind that if we feed our mind, it'll continue to grow.

But like what we need to do is just let it run out of steam. So just sit and do nothing for a while. People don't realize the part of our brain that exerts willpower has something to do with this part of our brain called the anterior cingulate cortex. The anterior cingulate cortex is a piece of where willpower comes from, but it is also the part of our brain that monitors conflict.

But like what we need to do is just let it run out of steam. So just sit and do nothing for a while. People don't realize the part of our brain that exerts willpower has something to do with this part of our brain called the anterior cingulate cortex. The anterior cingulate cortex is a piece of where willpower comes from, but it is also the part of our brain that monitors conflict.

So willpower and monitoring a conflict are actually technically the same thing. The same part of the brain activates. And if you guys, if you pay attention to your own internal experience, what you'll realize is anytime you're using willpower, there's an internal struggle that you are paying attention to. It's like, I don't want to order chicken. I want to order fried chicken.

So willpower and monitoring a conflict are actually technically the same thing. The same part of the brain activates. And if you guys, if you pay attention to your own internal experience, what you'll realize is anytime you're using willpower, there's an internal struggle that you are paying attention to. It's like, I don't want to order chicken. I want to order fried chicken.

So there's a monitoring of the conflict that goes on. That's anytime you're exerting willpower, there's this thing this way and this thing this way, but you are aware of it. You can't exert willpower if you're behaving automatically, right?

So there's a monitoring of the conflict that goes on. That's anytime you're exerting willpower, there's this thing this way and this thing this way, but you are aware of it. You can't exert willpower if you're behaving automatically, right?

That's why it's so easy to get lost in doom scrolling because you're not even aware of what you're doing before and then four hours have gone by and you're like, what? What happened? You're not aware. So this is the crazy thing from a neuroscientific perspective, and this is what the yogis will teach as well. Awareness is willpower. Awareness is self-control. And I've worked with tons of addicts.

That's why it's so easy to get lost in doom scrolling because you're not even aware of what you're doing before and then four hours have gone by and you're like, what? What happened? You're not aware. So this is the crazy thing from a neuroscientific perspective, and this is what the yogis will teach as well. Awareness is willpower. Awareness is self-control. And I've worked with tons of addicts.

They come up for air. And maybe you've done this and maybe people at home have done this. You go on this binge and then you come up for air and you're like, what have I been doing for a couple of days? What have I been doing for a couple of hours? Then you gain that awareness again. So the more that you are aware in the present moment, the more your problems will literally melt away.

They come up for air. And maybe you've done this and maybe people at home have done this. You go on this binge and then you come up for air and you're like, what have I been doing for a couple of days? What have I been doing for a couple of hours? Then you gain that awareness again. So the more that you are aware in the present moment, the more your problems will literally melt away.

It's like crazy. I don't quite know how it works, but this is what yoga teaches you. That as you are aware, as you are aware, as you are aware, you stop rejecting things. You start accepting things. You focus on the present. All the stuff that everyone talks about is actually rooted in awareness.

It's like crazy. I don't quite know how it works, but this is what yoga teaches you. That as you are aware, as you are aware, as you are aware, you stop rejecting things. You start accepting things. You focus on the present. All the stuff that everyone talks about is actually rooted in awareness.

And we live in a society where I say – if I say you don't need habits, you don't need willpower, you don't need discipline, all you need is awareness, people – will reject me. That doesn't mean it isn't true. And the more that you explore awareness, the more you will realize, like I used to think it was like 50-50. I'm now at like 90% of the problem is awareness.

And we live in a society where I say – if I say you don't need habits, you don't need willpower, you don't need discipline, all you need is awareness, people – will reject me. That doesn't mean it isn't true. And the more that you explore awareness, the more you will realize, like I used to think it was like 50-50. I'm now at like 90% of the problem is awareness.

Okay, so let's understand this, okay? You work really hard, Stephen. Is it hard to work hard?

Okay, so let's understand this, okay? You work really hard, Stephen. Is it hard to work hard?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay. So now we have to understand, why is it not hard for you to work hard?