discipline

take the first step

The other day I was avoiding doing real work by engaging in some pseudo-work (which my friend collin has written a great article on here). I was watching some “productive” youtube videos, when I came across a fantastic take that I wanted to share with you all. The video touched on the idea of motivation vs discipline, and the danger of how many people seek out “motivation”.

If you go on youtube and search for motivational videos, you can find hundreds of thousands of videos. For many—including myself who was actively seeking some motivation—we expect to see some motivational video that will make a big change. Something that will dramatically turn all the greys and blacks into bright vibrant colors and transform the work that I’m avoiding into an intensely appealing pastime. That suddenly I will be “unlocked” and finally accomplish what I’ve always been destined to do.

The reality is that no coveted combination of words that I can find on the internet is going to magically make this change. While this may sound discouraging to some, I actually find it to be the opposite. It’s all in your hands—you can become the person you want to be and accomplish the things you want to do right now, with no external magic required.

Seeking motivation implies that these tasks we face will become easier, and then we can finally reach our full potential. The truth is that you will have to do things you don’t want to do in the moment, and the most powerful skill you can have is the ability to push past that initial resistance. It’s not a matter of motivation but a matter of discipline.

The first step is always the most difficult. We seek motivation because we are faced with some gargantuan task that seems insurmountable. We think that in order to complete it we need some “motivation”; to view the problem from an entirely different lens gifted to us—the view of someone who is “motivated”. In reality I always find the actual task at hand to be easier than it seems in my head, and all you have to do is force yourself to act, instead of standing paralyzed by our perception of how difficult a task may be.

The make-or-break point of any decision is always the first step. Here’s an example. If you are making the decision of going to the gym, the make-or-break point is getting in your car. No one (I hope) gets halfway to the gym or outside and decides yeah this ain’t for me. So in the process of going to the gym, the actual display of discipline occurs when you take that first step.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca—a Stoic Roman philosopher—stated that:

We suffer more in imagination than in reality.

Much of our suffering is self-inflicted, and this anxiety doesn’t resolve the problem or make it any easier. We don’t have to suffer in advance.

Another important distinction is that knowing what the right decision is doesn’t solve any of our problems. This morning I commented on my brother’s early caffeine intake, and said that optimally he should delay it so he won’t crash in the afternoon. His response? Yeah I know, but its just too good. As I’m writing this section he’s currently crashing from his coffee on the couch next to me.

This is a relatively minor thing. It’s all good if he wants to rip his coffee straight out of bed instead of a few hours later. The more important thing is that knowledge didn’t result in proper execution. If just knowing what the right thing do to was, everyone would have shredded six pack abs, eat the healthiest food, and get all their work done on time. It’s not about knowledge, its about discipline.

In “Atomic Habits”, James Clear had an excellent mental framing to help surpass the “analysis paralysis” that I (and I figure many others) suffer from. Instead of focusing on the entirety of tasks—of everything you want to do to—look at each individual task as a vote. Every action you take is a vote towards becoming who you want to be—or against it. These votes can be as simple as waking up early, or making your bed, or avoiding picking up the phone after you wake up (which we all know will lead to a black hole of content consumption and wasted time). Tasks as simple and easy as these can be a vote towards your goals. Compound enough of these, and you’ll look back and realize you’ve become who you wanted to be.

So next time you want to sleep just a bit longer, do that task later—or feel generally unmotivated—think if these votes represent who you want to be. But don’t just take my word for it. Go out and experience it yourself—cast your votes today. Because that’s what this is all about. Discipline.

You can do it :)