Maybe I’m not as lazy as I thought. Or, if I am, maybe it’s a good thing. I don’t know. Read on.

This morning I found a recent Forbes article about 10 Things Mentally Strong People Won’t Do. It’s worth a read. It starts with this story of determination:

Thomas Edison provides an interesting example. When his factory burned to the ground in 1914, destroying one-of-a-kind prototypes and causing $23 million in damage, Edison’s response was simple:

“Thank goodness all our mistakes were burned up. Now we can start fresh again.”

That’s beyond “never give up”. That’s where you can’t even be placed in a give up situation.

The 10 Things are:

1. They don’t dwell on mistakes.

2. They don’t hang around negative people.

3. They don’t stop believing in themselves.

4. They don’t wait for an apology to forgive.

5. They don’t feel sorry for themselves.

6. They don’t hold grudges.

7. They won’t let anyone limit their joy…

8. …and they don’t limit the joy of others.

9. They don’t get lazy.

10. They don’t get negative.

For right now, I’m looking at number 9, laziness. The example the article gives of laziness/counter-laziness is:

A study conducted at the Eastern Ontario Research Institute found that people who exercised twice a week for 10 weeks felt more socially, intellectually, and athletically competent. They also rated their body image and self-esteem higher. Best of all, rather than the physical changes in their bodies being responsible for the uptick in confidence, which is key to mental toughness, it was the immediate, endorphin-fueled positivity from exercise that made all the difference.

Exercise twice a week? A week? I sometimes feel down and out if I don’t exercise twice in a single day. Two days without physical activity and I start to develop neurosis. I have to start mentally justifying things to myself – even if the underlying reasons are real and obvious – “You strained you bicep. Slow down or you’ll tear it and be out for weeks. Strains and tears heal stronger. It’ll work out.” – and so on.

And the exercising I do is a little different than that of others. Many men seem content if they can bench press their body weight – which, generally speaking, is a good standard. However, I feel like a slug if I can’t (double arm) curl my own weight.

One of my gyms has sixteen 200-pound heavy bags. Well, 15 right now, I got a little carried away. 98% of the members pretend these things don’t exist. The few of the rest do as most – they pretend their in a fight with one of the bags. It’s a great workout. I pretend to mercilessly brutalize the whole gang.

In work, I usually write 2,000 – 5,000 words per day, everyday. Some you read here, some you can’t, and some are for other people. The days come by when I only do 1,000 words. I feel kind of lazy then. But most people don’t type 1,000, tweets and texts aside, in a year.

So, I’m thinking maybe I’m not that lazy. And maybe I am. And I like it. And I don’t.

People love to liken themselves to animals: sheep, sheepdogs and wolves are very popular choices. I like the tiger concept. Large, sleek, and solitary, cute like a kitten, but menacing. Tigers are extraordinarily lazy by design. Almost all of their time is spent lying around. They sleep, yawn, blog, and loaf the hours away. They can afford the lifestyle because, when needed and suddenly, they’re the most dangerous thing in the forest. And there’s nothing the sheep, dogs and wolves can do about it. And the tigers are beyond it all.

Why yes, I’ze lazy. Say, you lookz appetizing.

Meandering on through the internets I found Vox’s recommendation for a new book: The Nine Laws by Ivan Throne, published by Vox’s Castalia House. It looks like the Forbes article, in manual form and on steroids. Sayeth the Amazon:

Do you dare to discover what you’re truly capable of?

THE NINE LAWS is your living manual of power, distilled for you by the man who was forced to build it to survive. The author forged this system over decades of cruel experience. It began with profound trauma in early childhood, shaped itself during long training in the eastern warrior arts, and was polished amidst financial industry competition and family crisis. Master this content, and deliver yourself to a place that few men ever reach: joyous mastery of your own fate.

This book is not for the uncertain or the timid. THE NINE LAWS is designed for men who are acutely aware that one lifetime is all they have to pursue and achieve their sacred purpose. Far more than a mere self-help book, or a simple collection of advice and ideas, The Nine Laws is a gravely serious operating system for success in a dark world.

Read it. Train it. Live it. Survive the dark world with momentous ferocity, and triumph.

Ivan Throne is a business manager, author and seasoned veteran of the financial industry with over thirty years of study in the classical Japanese military fighting arts. His vivid lessons and ruthless mentoring for the hard and often cruel demands of our pitiless high performance world have helped millions of people across social media deeply connect with radical, authentic success to the joys of partners, lovers, colleagues and clients.

I picked it up on Kindle. All the preview looked fantastic and I can’t wait to start reading… Actually, I can wait. That lazy indifference of the differing perception thing…

Take a look at those 10 things. Maybe it’s your lazy day. Or your day of joy. Or no negativity day. Or… So be a tiger, or a sheepdog, or a goldfish or whatever.