Your drive to complete a task will inevitably wane at some time. What happens if your motivation starts to wane? I don't profess to have all the answers, but here are some things I try to remember when I'm about to give up.
Consider every idea you have as a recommendation rather than a command. My mind is telling me that I'm exhausted right now as I write this. It's implying that I should give up. It's advising me to pick a less difficult route.
However, if I take a breather, I can come up with fresh ideas. My thinking also suggests that after this effort is over, I will be quite pleased with myself. It implies that if I keep to the timetable, I will respect the identity I am forming. It implies that I am capable of doing this work even when I am not in the mood.
Keep in mind that none of these ideas are directives. They're just choices. I have the ability to pick which path I will choose.
Discomfort is only a blip on the radar.
Almost every habit you execute is over fast when compared to the time in your usual day or week. In an hour or two, you'll be done with your workout. By tomorrow morning, your report will be typed to completion.
It's easier than it's ever been before. You would have died 300 years ago if you didn't kill your own food and build your own dwelling. Today, we bemoan the fact that we forgot to charge our iPhone.
Keep things in perspective. Your life is fantastic, and the suffering you're experiencing is just brief. Allow yourself to be strengthened by this uncomfortable situation.
Once you've completed good work, you'll never regret it.
“Far and away the highest gift that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at job worth doing,” declared Theodore Roosevelt. We tend to desire to work effortlessly at job that is worthwhile all of the time. We want our job to be useful and appreciated, but we also don't want to battle with it. We want to have flat stomachs and powerful arms, but we don't want to go through another workout. We only care about the end outcome, not the failed attempts that lead up to it. We want the gold, not the struggle.
A gold medal may be desired by anyone. Few individuals aspire to train like Olympic athletes.
Despite our opposition, I have never found myself feeling worse when the hard task is over. It was sometimes difficult to get started, but it was always worthwhile to complete. The sheer act of turning up and having the fortitude to complete the task, even if it is mediocre, is sometimes a success worth celebrating.
Life is what it is.
Life is a perpetual balancing act between succumbing to the allure of diversion and persevering through the agony of discipline. It is no exaggeration to argue that this delicate balance defines our lives and identities. What is life if not the sum of a hundred thousand daily conflicts and little decisions to either persevere or surrender?
When you don't feel like working, what do you do? This is not an opportunity to squander. This isn't a practice run. This moment is as much a part of your life as any other. Spend money in a way that you'll be proud of.