"HYDE" Real or Not?

Meet Hyde

Every psychological theory recognizes that we are made up

of several different selves. So, obviously, we have more than one

side of ourselves with which to contend. Moreover, difficulty

arises when we consider that frequently our different sides want

to go in different directions. Inner conflict, it's called.

Sometimes one side of us wants to engage in a productive

activity such as working on a report for work, cleaning the

kitchen, or balancing the checkbook. But another side of us

wants to watch television and eat chocolate chip cookies, or

anything else to avoid doing something we consider a productive

use of time. In other words, there is a part of you that does not

want self-discipline. This side of you we'll call Hyde.

In Robert Lewis Stevenson's classic novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr.

Hyde, we find a literary example that perfectly suits ours needs

here. Basically the story is about a benevolent doctor who,

through chemical experimentation on himself, brought out the

evil side of his personality while suppressing the good side. The

two sides of himself ended up in a struggle for dominance that

eventually destroyed them both. Think of the part of you that

wants self-discipline as Dr. Jekyll, and the part of you that fights

your attempts at self-discipline as Hyde. Get the idea? Do not,

however, think of your Hyde side as an enemy. Think, instead,

of Hyde as the part of you that is creative, fun-loving, and

pleasure-seeking; the child side of yourself. You do not want to

do battle with Hyde, but you want to recruit Hyde as a partner

who supports your self-discipline efforts.

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1. Getting Started

This Jekyll/Hyde approach is one of the more important

concepts to understand in your attempts to develop selfdiscipline.

Time and time again, participants in my workshops,

seminars, and courses have reaffirmed that this concept,

understanding it and applying it, has been instrumental in their

self-discipline successes. So, you will begin by learning about

how your personal Hyde operates.

Hyde believes:

If I begin a structured, organized journey toward any

chosen goal:

I'll become a slave to routine

I'll lose my freedom

I'll lose my sense of fun

I'll drown in a sea of responsibilities

I'll put too much pressure on myself

We all have a rebellious side to our personalities that resists

any form of structure. We bring this rebellious seed from

our childhood. One of the first words a child learns to say

emphatically is "NO." The child we once were still lives inside

us, and every child battles authority. Hyde, the name we will

call your inner childlike rebel, battles any form of authority,

even if the authority is you. Hyde subconsciously says:

"Nobody can tell me what to do, not even me."

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Self-Discipline in 10 days

You will soon learn how your personal Hyde operates to

sabotage your self-discipline efforts. You will also learn how to

counteract this self-inflicted negative influence. But beware,

you will experience resistance each step of the way from Hyde.

In fact, because I consider your understanding of Hyde so

important, the first thing we're going to do is learn how Hyde

will try to block your efforts at implementing the system laid

out in this book.

On your voyage toward developing self-discipline, you'll

encounter torpedoes from several sources outside yourself, but

your most difficult opposition will come from within. Indeed, in

your efforts to develop self-discipline, initially you will be your

own worst enemy.

Remember:

A part of you does not want self-discipline.

We all have a Hyde side: the rebellious, comfort-seeking,

non-ambitious part of our personality. This is a condition of

being human. So let this serve as a word of warning. Do not

allow Hyde to block your efforts.

You'll soon have the know-how necessary to transform Hyde

from a pesky saboteur into a loyal assistant. In doing so, you

will be doubling the inner resources you need for self-discipline.

And, most important, you will enjoy self-discipline, rather than

experience it as a constant struggle against yourself.

As we've already established, we're going to call the part of

you that does not want self-discipline "Hyde."

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1. Getting Started

Hyde not only knows all your weaknesses, fears, and

insecurities, but also knows how to use them against you. This

devious little imp inside you plans to employ every method of

manipulation available to keep you from following the program

laid out in this book. Why?

Hyde knows that once you develop self-discipline, you'll be

your own boss. That means curtains for Hyde's reign. You'll

no longer be a slave to the self-defeating traits that keep you

from transforming your desires and ideas into actions and

accomplishments.

Rest assured that Hyde will childishly resist cooperation. So,

your best strategy is to familiarize yourself with Hyde's tactics,

most of which operate on a subconscious level, where you are not

aware of them. But by familiarizing yourself with Hyde's method

of operation, you will soon have Hyde working with you rather

than against you.

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