{"id":357101,"date":"2026-07-09T23:54:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T23:54:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/the-answer-to-every-problem\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T23:54:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T23:54:35","slug":"the-answer-to-every-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=357101","title":{"rendered":"The Answer to Every Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n\"Post<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pretty sure the best answer to every problem can be encapsulated in one simple dictum.<\/p>\n

You can use this dictum to meet all your problems, regardless of what they are, and create the best possible outcomes.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re not going to like it. It has different forms<\/a>, but here\u2019s one:<\/p>\n

\n

Do what has to be done, when it has to be done, and do it that way every time.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is truly infuriating advice. The mind sputters and objects.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Objection 1: This doesn\u2019t tell me anything! How do I know what<\/em> has to be done? That\u2019s the whole problem.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s really not the problem. Almost always you know what has to be done.<\/p>\n

Just ask yourself what a wiser person would do, and notice that (a) you usually know, and (b) you are trying to not<\/em> do that.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the real problem. The unwise part of the mind always hopes that this time, and every time, you can do something easier (and worse) than what really has to be done.<\/p>\n

This unwise part wants you to make the phone call later, not now, which you know amounts to choosing a slightly worse future for you and the other party. It wants you to go to bed at a stupid time and live on less sleep. It wants the worst for you, or at least to deny you the best.<\/p>\n

Objection 2: Seriously though, this advice has no content at all. It doesn\u2019t say what to do.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Again, you know what to do, and you can just do that.<\/p>\n

Occasionally, you need to deliberate about your response. So do that: deliberate, decide, and act accordingly. If you need to Google something, consult someone, or list pros and cons, that\u2019s the thing to do.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
I know it\u2019s late, but r\/BirdsWithArms needs me<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Nine times out of ten you already know what to do. Your hesitation is almost never about not knowing.<\/p>\n

Objection 3: Every time? That\u2019s an impossible standard. How can I possibly follow this advice?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, you only need to follow it this time.<\/p>\n

Follow it next time too \u2013 but worry about that next time.<\/p>\n

Doing the right thing often causes spikes of trepidation, frustration, or discouragement, but mostly it feels like a relief. For once you\u2019re not trying to get away with anything.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Please, anything but that<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The answer to any tough moments is to follow the dictum again.<\/p>\n

Avoiding what has to be done feels miserable. The world is against you, you\u2019re against yourself, you know you\u2019re creating future problems, and it feels bad.<\/p>\n

Objection 4: Come on now, there has to be another way.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aha! The existential problem addressed by the dictum is beginning to show.<\/p>\n

Listen to what you\u2019re saying: there has to be some way forward other <\/em>than doing the right thing. <\/em>Anything but that!<\/p>\n

The great human curse isn\u2019t that we are bad, but that we deny what\u2019s true and obvious. It simply cannot be the case that I should do the thing I should do! There must be some mistake!<\/em><\/p>\n

The mind insists that reality must be wrong. If you accept reality, then what? Well, you have to conform to reality, which means you have to change.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
I\u2019m sorry Dave, I\u2019m afraid you can do that<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The dictum tells you exactly how and when.<\/p>\n

Objection 5: I\u2019m not uh\u2026 good enough\u2026 wise enough\u2026 I\u2019m not\u2026 skilled<\/em> enough to follow this dictum. I can\u2019t live up to it. I\u2019ll just be disappointing myself all the time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The dictum doesn\u2019t ask anything of you that you can\u2019t give. It calibrates itself perfectly to your capabilities.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t say \u201cbench press 300 pounds\u201d or \u201cmake everyone happy.\u201d It says, \u201cput your phone away and go to bed,\u201d or \u201clace up your runners,\u201d or \u201cfix this mistake now so you don\u2019t have to do it Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n

All these things you can do.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lift three plates for reps, you must<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Objection 6: But I\u2019ve defied the dictum my whole life. How do I change all that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to. The dictum only applies to right now, which is the only time you can do anything.<\/p>\n

Objection 7: Ok, you\u2019re right. This is an important truth to reckon with. I will try to wrap my head around this and start Monday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is that doing what has to be done, when it has to be done?<\/p>\n

Objection 8: Please leave me alone. Your advice is making me miserable.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You already know what\u2019s making you miserable, and what to do instead.<\/p>\n

The truth was always there, always known deep in your heart. It permeates the universe. Only the human mind can push it away.<\/p>\n

Objection 9: Wait, is this like a spiritual thing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, exactly. You are getting a glimpse of Truth, Logos, Dharma, God. That which is everywhere present and fills all things. You can turn away from it, deny it, get mad at it, but you can\u2019t really live without it.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Just will not stop<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The dictum, once its truth penetrates the mind, will force you to recognize your entanglement with the transcendent moral order behind everything \u2014 the mysterious, unceasing thing ever-beckoning you towards good, despite your hesitations. Meeting the unwavering truth like this is scary, but it will liberate you if you embrace it.<\/p>\n

Objection 10: Whoa. I have some thinking to do.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Definitely. This is all very heavy. But you know what to do in the meantime, and every time.<\/p>\n

How to live by the dictum in real life<\/h3>\n

I\u2019m getting a bit cheeky here but I think I\u2019ve made my point.<\/p>\n

Living by the dictum is harder than anything, but paradoxically, nothing else creates so much ease and freedom<\/a> so quickly. It exposes reality-denying habits like an x-ray machine, helping you drop them one by one as you see their absurdity.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
I thought we had something real<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The simplest tactic for living by the dictum is to say it to yourself a lot:<\/p>\n

\n

Do what has to be done, when it has to be done, and do it that way every time.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Say it when you\u2019re driving, working, gathering laundry, scooping the litterbox. It points the way, from every moment.<\/p>\n

Sometimes the mind rebels. It wants no part of this responsibility to recognize reality and act accordingly. It lashes out with absurd ideas: \u201cWe\u2019re getting drive-thru on the way home,\u201d it says. \u201cI don\u2019t care that a Big Mac meal is $13.99 now, and that we have leftovers in the fridge.\u201d<\/p>\n

The willful mind commits these acts of spite, then it feels bad and vows to change.<\/p>\n

But by a certain point the cat\u2019s out of the bag \u2014 the unwise part of the mind has glimpsed the Truth. All it can do is act out in spite of itself. The dictum is the answer to all of it.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
You can avert your eyes but you can\u2019t extinguish it<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

I\u2019m not good at living the dictum, but I can\u2019t deny its necessity anymore. The only advice I have is not to treat it like a \u201cwagon\u201d you can fall off and get back on later. It\u2019s not like a diet. It\u2019s an ever-present light to see by.<\/p>\n

You can return to it in a single moment, no matter what\u2019s happening, with the smallest possible act.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

When are you going to start?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Each of us is putting off goals and dreams we consider essential to who we are.<\/p>\n

We push them into the future, as though a better, more serious version of ourselves will take care of it someday.<\/p>\n

In your heart, you know it doesn\u2019t work like that.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Still waiting for you<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

You can<\/em> do these things, but you have to approach them in a way that conforms to reality.<\/p>\n

The way to pull off a big thing (for real) is to turn it into small things<\/strong> \u2013 sub-half-hour tasks \u2013 and start doing them immediately<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is what One Big Win<\/em> is, if you\u2019ve never tried it.<\/p>\n

Show me how to do it<\/a><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n