I really like this: “I grow so attached to my emotions and my lethargy that it takes over. The only real cause for lethargy, though, is previous lethargy: it perpetuates itself, slowly destroying me.” Lethargy takes practice. Be careful about what you practice. Going off of what you so brilliantly stated, the more you do it, you better you get at it. That goes both ways. Sleeping late takes as much practice as waking up early.

Lee Thayer has very stimulating ideas on “habits” and how we always go where our habits lead us. That is, habits, being tacit, will not take us where we “want to go,” but will without a doubt lead us where they are going. As you can probably imagine, he’s not just talking about habits like drinking, smoking and so on (although, those would surely count), but “habits” that are closer to us. For example, habits such as habits of thinking, ingrained habits of how we do things, perceive things and how we approach and deal with our situations (all of our daily strategies and interactions). Your thoughts stirred that up for me. Lethargy will indeed take you somewhere, but the question is, is that where you want to go? If not, you have to make the choice to either be lethargic or not. The way you worded it is so excellent.

Perhaps, the more you stay the course of living the kind of life that you consciously choose, the less bothersome (the less need to ignore them), the emotions will be. That is, just recognize them for what they are and keep your head up. Also, make sure you are heading in the right direction.

In closing, I’m reminded of something Reynolds wrote, which I’m quoting off-hand. It goes something like this: “If you can’t change your surroundings, then change yourself in the surroundings.” Let’s give it a whirl.

Thanks again for the insights and for taking the time to re-read the “actualizing” article! I look forward to reading more and apologize for this long comment. Hopefully, it, too, will be of some use to you.