Being disciplined is so hard!
Being our best selves every day is what we all wish. But there's a real gap between wanting it and being it. This is a game of focus, habits, and regularity.
In the end, all the things we do comes down to our daily habits. Therefore, the best way to meet any goal is to train ourselves to do the things that will lead to success without any effort.
Do not let your bad moods influence your success
Whenever you are tired of doing it. When your soul tells you to activate autodestruction mode for just one night... go to sleep.
When it tells you to skip a workout, just take out the yoga mat or whatever. Then put on your favorite workout outfit... and do it.
Be more proactive than reactive.
Motivation won't come by itself
Everybody waits for motivation to take action.
The secret is that motivation comes from action.
Start doing, making, creating... motivation will come. Work on your willpower a little bit every day.
Celebrate little victories and never surrender your willpower to others.
How to be motivated on request
Motivation always comes from a positive emotional state. This state will then be translated into some desirable actions that will bring us closer to achieving our goals.
But what do we do when we're not in this positive state of mind?
We can't just wait and hope for the next good feeling to come.
Motivation loop
The classical scheme is the following:
Positive feeling => Action => MotivationThe problem with it is that it is a passive one. We have to wait for “the positive feeling” to come.
To break this passive pattern we first need to see the macro picture. A classic day will resemble something like this:
Positive feeling => Action => Motivation => Positive feeling => Action => Motivation => ...Reverse the pattern: Start with action!
The key to stay motivated or create motivation is to start with action.
We can't wait for a good feeling to come. We can't wait to be motivated at a certain point in time, but we can take action.
Action => Motivation => Positive feeling => Action => ...The best way to move forward and achieve your goals is not to wait for motivation. It is to take action in order to create motivation.
Try this theory, whenever you're not motivated or in a bad mood, do something.
Start with the simple things. Get up, turn on Spotify. Select your favorite playlist and start making something. Motivation will arise. Your day will be good.
Don't believe me?
Think back to the last time you did the dishes. The last time you went to see grandma. The last time you got up and worked out. It may have been a painful start... but when you got there, it wasn't so bad, was it?