I love feeling motivated, and I’m sure you do too. Have you ever noticed how easily you don’t feel motivated when things get tough?
See, usually when the going is good then we feel good. Motivated. Excited. Like nothing can ruin those feelings and that’s the way things will stay.
Until it doesn’t.
All of sudden, life beats you down a bit and there goes all of those good feelings. Just like that. Now you feel like you’ll be in a rut for eternity. Such a dreaded feeling. We’ve all been there, or maybe are there.
I don’t think it’s any secret what I’ll say next, especially if you’ve been following along for a while. It has to do with my favorite word… discipline.
When motivation fades discipline remains.
Easy as that. Not really, but I’d like to think it is.
People have all sorts of definitions of what things in life mean to them, including discipline, so here’s what it means to me.
I show up for myself and others dependent on me. Keep one foot in front of the other. Try to make the right choices whenever possible. Follow through on promises I make to myself, and others. You get the whole picture by now.
That’s all because I make a decision to do those things. No feelings involved. Like writing this blog post for example. I have to do it, and that’s it. There’s the only reason I need to sit here and type this out.
Another example, my son needing his diaper changed. It’s not the most motivating thing to do, but I do it anyway because that’s my job.
If it’s something that you know you need to do, and you’re not doing, then you should probably go do it. That’s discipline. No one said you had to like it.
Here’s how I’d suggest you go about being disciplined if this all sounds new to you…
Start small. One non-negotiable daily task is perfect. Everyday, do that thing. Once that becomes automatic, incorporate something else. So on and so forth. Just keep stacking wins.
Over time your mindset begins to shift. The days you ask yourself “should I do this thing today” will be gone and you’ll start saying “I gotta get this done”.
Motivation is for the short term. Discipline is for the long term. Choices compound, results start to show. Good or bad.
Forever learning. Always building.
-Ethan