Last year, I had my first experience with fasting over long periods. I learned to appreciate the power of fasting. With my gained comfort, I decided to use it to incentivize action.

This day, I told myself that I wouldn’t eat until I finished a particular task.

One of our most primitive, physiological needs is nourishment.

We need to eat.

It follows that one who can control this primitive desire exercises control and discipline at a very critical layer.

I think fasting gives you super powers. By fasting, your brain becomes single focused.

In a nourished state, my mind is cluttered, chaotic, and confused.

I think of:

School.
Work.
Relationships.
What my dream was about?
Why was I so awkward in that video call?
Does this person hate me?
Why does this person hate me?
What did I eat yesterday?
Did I forget to turn the lights off?
I should repaint my room.
Where’s that missing sock?
Should I send my beat out?
This list goes on.

When you fast, your mind converges on a single desire.

I need food.

It provides us with a sense of urgency. It propels the mind and body to a state of alertness.

It’s a very natural instinct. When food was scarce, our mind needed to be ready; ready to go hunt for an animal or scavenge for some berries. Our minds would be clear, and in focus.

Your mind converges on a single goal.

Imagine if I was on the verge of starvation and my mind still was focused on what I said in a Zoom call, or what my dream was about?

I would die.

Instead, my mind immediately prioritizes what is important.

I believe our bodies should be exposed to this incentive more, but it isn’t.

Incentivization leads to action.

Find your incentives, and you find your action.