I was never smart.

I had a low IQ when I was younger and, honestly, I probably still do. I felt I would never be a success in any of my endeavors. From my academics to my career, my relationships to my fitness, I felt like I wasn’t going to accomplish anything. I know this doesn’t sound like the most motivating thing but that was my reality when I was younger.

And here’s the thing: it’s the reality for many men out there. Maybe you’re like that, too. Maybe you’re a man who feels you’re “destined” to be mediocre.

I had way too many things working against me by the time I was 18. I was already years deep into my pornography addiction I had dyslexia and other learning abilities which placed me in a curriculum for academically challenged kids. I had rock-bottom self-esteem and lived in an environment that  reinforced my shame.

Then I started reading books on personal development and I truly believe these books saved my life. While reading I realized something: I might not have been the smartest person but I could easily become a hard worker. I didn’t have the natural smarts but I could develop the work ethic I needed to get ahead.

Thus my mantra began: You’re either smart or hardworking.

Find What You Love and Let It Kill You

I started building my work ethic in my early twenties while selling Bibles door-to-door. Yes, Bibles – those books you can get for free from a dresser drawer in a hotel. Mind you they were nice, high-quality study Bibles, but people still said I was stupid for doing it.

Get this, though – I didn’t feed into their seeing me as stupid. I just put my head down, got to work, and sold as many Bibles as I could with my team. By the end of my career, my team and I ended up selling between $1.2 and $1.7 million worth of Bibles. Yeah, those books you can get for free.

Once I discovered a path out of pornography addiction, it lit a fire inside me. I took the work ethic I honed as a Bible salesman and applied it to helping other men overcome their porn addiction. It felt like I found a way out of slavery to the cycle and I wanted to share it with everyone I could. 

Again, people told me it was a dumb idea. I ignored all the negativity, though, and started working with guys. I kept my mantra at the front of my mind: I’m not the smartest but I can be the hardest worker. Every day Monday through Sunday I got on the phone with guys and started helping them control their behavior.

I trained myself to get deep, sufficient sleep for 2 hours per night. I worked until 3:00 or 4:00 AM, got into bed and dropped almost immediately into a deep sleep state, and then woke up at 5:00 or 6:00 AM. I’d hit the gym for about 90 minutes, get to work for 16 to 20 hours, and then do it all again. Over and over. 

It was an intense grind but I told myself I was going to be the hardest worker. I proved to myself that I didn’t have to be the smartest but I could work the hardest and still get to where I wanted and needed to be.

Porn Addiction Crushes Your Work Ethic

Over my years of working with men, I’ve found something we all have in common: porn addiction crushed our work ethic. I don’t care whether you’re a doctor, a lawyer, a hedge fund manager, a financial analyst, or a software engineer. I don’t care. If you’re struggling with porn addiction, you’re not as smart as you think you are anymore.

You destroyed your prefrontal cortex, the area that regulates decision-making, during your years of porn and compulsive masturbation. Other parts of your brain were negatively impacted by your addiction. At this point, you have no other choice but to work hard at certain things.

Don’t let the things that come easy to you fool you, either. You might still be able to do the basics of your job, make some money, and live a decent life. But other aspects of your life are probably more important. If not, why are you here reading this?

The True Impact of Your Addiction

Once you understand what amazing machines your brain and body are, it’s going to accomplish amazing things for you. More importantly, though, it’s going to help you accomplish amazing things for other people. It’s bad when your body and mind can’t support you, but it’s downright tragic when you can’t offer things to others because of your behavior.

Too many men are stuck trying to get through their days without slipping. It’s even worse for those who are fathers, entrepreneurs, and professionals. These men have huge responsibilities to their kids, their wives, their families, their businesses, their shareholders, their employees, and their clients. But they’ve lost the ability to serve others.

If controlling your behavior comes down to some hard work, what do you have to lose?

Rebuilding Your Work Ethic Through Your Biochemistry

Consider the areas of your life where you’re seriously lagging. You’re neglecting certain aspects. Even if things seem put together on the outside and you’re receiving accolades for your accomplishments, you and I know the truth. 

Maybe it’s something to do with your integrity or your values. It could be as simple as the fact that you’re cruising when you could be doing so much better. But it’s now time to take control of your work ethic because you’ve left the rational, smarter, decision-making part of yourself behind.

You’re either smart or you’re hardworking and if you’re anything like the rest of us here at Porn Reboot, it’s time to get working. Your biochemistry is the key to your success in the Porn Reboot system. Learning to work with your biology is something we talk about often here and it’s crucial if you want to start rebuilding your work ethic.

Check out some more posts here on the blog, watch a few videos on our YouTube channel, tune into our podcast on your preferred podcast platform, and join us in our free Facebook group. We have hundreds of free resources available to help you on the path back to success. 

You never need to do the work alone, either – you have the entire Porn Reboot group behind you every step of the way.