Ideas

The “butler trick” that makes self-discipline feel less like punishment

It’s about doing something for someone you are very close to.

Self-discipline is a rough thing to master. We say we'll hit the gym every day this week and miss on Wednesday, and then what's even the point on Thursday because we've botched the goal and I can't pull it off now and so it's back to the couch and the Cheeze-its for me... sorry. Sorry! Apparently, this is triggering for me... But, as Mark Wales reports in this story, maybe we've been thinking about self-discipline all wrong. Maybe it isn’t something we do to ourselves, but for someone else.

That “someone else” is Future You, who is apparently out here begging for a little basic respect. Retired U.S. Navy chief Chase Hughes shares a mental switch he calls the “butler” trick: treat your future self like a VIP you’re looking after today. Not a drill sergeant you’re failing. Not a judge keeping score. A person you’re quietly helping.

Hughes’ definition of discipline is simple and annoyingly logical: it’s prioritizing what Future You needs over what Present You wants. But the trick is how you feel about it. Instead of dreading discipline like it’s a scolding, you reframe it as service.

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And what did we learn?

Yesterday, we shared 7 life hacks shared by older generations. 

What do GOOD readers find to be the hardest life skill to master? Over 40% have a hard time letting go of the past.

• Letting go of the past (41.7%)

• Avoiding unnecessary arguments (11.9%)

• Doing the right thing when it’s inconvenient (8.3%)

• Not caring what people think (33.3%)

Reader sqwerlly had a write-in response that several other readers echoed. “Accepting change without an argument.“

Health

An expert says you’re wiping wrong

A dermatologist gets to the, uh, bottom of what’s causing your irritation.

There are three main stories in this issue, and this is number two. According to Curtis Asbury, MD, a dermatologist practicing in Selbyville, Delaware, there’s more to proper toilet paper technique than just ‘front to back’. Dr. Asbury says that most of his patients suffering from, we’ll call it ‘irritation’ to keep this polite, think they’re doing everything right, but he has to break it to them that their technique stinks.

You’ll want to sit down for this one. The culprit when things get uncomfortable is usually perianal dermatitis. As Mark Wales reports, it is often triggered by wiping too little, too much, too aggressively, or with products your body is quietly mad about.

So, what’s the right way to get the job done? The good doctor has shared five tips you won’t want to miss.

Culture

A 6-year-old thought skateboarding was “for boys.” One hour at the park changed that.

She came to prove that skateboarding wasn’t just for boys; the boys had opinions on the subject.

Many parents have had “oh, whoops…” moments. You know the one. “The ride isn’t that scary, baby,” which leads to you comforting a weeping six-year-old five minutes later. “It’s not that spicy, kiddo!” “This movie isn’t creepy, buddy!”

Jeanean Thomas thought she was having one of those moments after taking her six-year-old to the skate park. “It’ll be fun, Peyton, skateboarding isn’t only for boys.” Then, as Adam Albright-Hanna reports, she found herself surrounded by, well, boys. Swearing, smoking, swaggering boys. Should she leave and possibly give her daughter the impression that some places are off limits to her, or stay in a decidedly un-Peyton-friendly place?

Before she could decide, 20-year-old Ryan Carney rolled up, and what could have been a one-and-done shot at skating into an exciting new hobby became a heartwarming viral moment.

On March 5, 1963, a U.S. patent was awarded for the brand-new, revolutionary (ahem) idea of… a circle. Specifically: the Hula Hoop. People had been twirling hoops forever, from old-school wooden rings to bamboo versions kids played with in Australia. But the mid-century magic trick was packaging: lightweight plastic, bright colors, a catchy name, and Wham-O’s uncanny ability to spot a fad before it became a stampede.

You generally can’t patent “a hoop” in the abstract. What can be patented is a specific design or method, materials, construction details, connectors, manufacturing approach, or a particular “hoop toy” configuration.

The cultural detonation hit in 1958, when the Hula Hoop went from novelty to nationwide frenzy almost overnight. Schoolyards, beaches, TV spots, talent shows, and living rooms turned into impromptu hip-swing arenas. It was cheap, social, instantly understandable, and just challenging enough to make you try “one more time.” The boom cooled fast (as fads do), but not before it became one of the defining pop-culture toys of the era.

Hooping never disappeared; it evolved. Now you’ll find it as fitness gear (including weighted hoops), and as part of flow arts: dance, performance, LED hoops, festivals, and communities where the goal isn’t keeping it up for 30 seconds, it’s turning motion into craft. The circle endured. We just got better at what to do with it.

A Correction

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