There are no losers in life, except

I recently stumbled upon an article on Medium titled “The 8 Habits of Losers in Life.” Sharing the link comes with a heavy heart, as I didn’t like the story. However, it did catalyze this response.

There is some truth in all of the points listed in the story but I would frame them differently: for example, these are the habits that hinder your progress or these are the habits that damage your life.

How you frame the discussion of bad habits and the resulting life struggles matters. I’m not trying to be soft or politically correct. I’m acknowledging that virtually everyone grapples with some form of negative habits. Each instance of a bad habit stems from a unique history or set of circumstances that necessitates understanding and often empathy. Empathy is essential for the goal at hand — helping each other improve instead of creating the vicious circle of shaming.

Instead, we have this Andrew Tate—styled story that suggests that anyone suffering from one of the listed issues is a loser.

Let me quickly go through the points

Loser Habit #1: Sleeping Incorrectly

Bullshit generalization. Most people welcome the idea of sleeping well but they still struggle with poor sleep for all kinds of reasons. For example, I wake up in the middle of the night practically every night.

Loser Habit #2: Shallow Work

On the surface, it’s a valid point. Shallow work is, well, shallow work. However, lacking focus can be indicative of underlying mental conditions, the correction of which is not a quick fix. I struggle with focus all the time. Do I have an underlying mental condition? Maybe. I can be hyper-focused on certain endeavors and suffer from insurmountable procrastination on others. I’m not defending the instances of my poor focus. I’m aware of the damage caused to my productivity. But I struggle. If I could fix it easily, I would.

Loser Habit #3: Avoiding Boredom

I don’t fully get this one. Is being bored good somehow? I guess the idea is to communicate the need to be disciplined about certain routines. That’s fine but I don’t think that embracing boredom is the best way to explain the idea.

Loser Habit #4: Eating Complete Trash

I’m also for healthy eating, but consuming large amounts of processed foods is a societal problem.