itSMFA 2017 August Bulletin Bulletin - August - 2017 | Page 15

What to Do When Motivation Fades
Inevitably, your motivation to perform a task will dip at some
point. What happens when motivation fades? I don't claim to
have all the answers, but here’s what I try to remind myself of
when I feel like giving up.
Your Mind is a Suggestion Engine
Consider every thought you have as a suggestion, not an
order. Right now, as I'm wr iting this, my mind is suggesting
that I feel tired. It is suggesting that I give up. It is suggesting
that I take an easier path.
If I pause for a moment, however, I can discover new
suggestions. My mind is also suggesting that I will feel very
good about accomplishing this work once it is done. It is
suggesting that I will respect the identity I am building when I
stick to the schedule. It is suggesting that I have the ability to
finish this task, even when I don’t feel like it.
Remember, none of these suggestions are orders. They are
merely options. I have the power to choose which option I
follow.
Discomfort Is Temporary
Relative to the time in your normal day or week, nearly any
habit you perform is over quickly. Your workout will be fin-
ished in an hour or two. Your report will be typed to
completion by tomorrow morning.
Life is easier now than it has ever been. 300 years ago, if you
didn’t kill your own food and build your own house, you would
die. Today, we whine about forgetting our iPhone charger.
Maintain perspective. Your life is good and your discomfort is
temporary. Step into this moment of discomfort and let it
strengthen you.
You Will Never Regret Good Work Once It
is Done
Theodore Roosevelt famously said, “Far and away the best
prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at
work worth doing.” So often it seems that we want to work
easily at work worth doing. We want our work to be help-
ful and respected, but we do not want to struggle through
our work. We want our stomachs to be flat and our arms to
be strong, but we do not want to grind through another
workout. We want the final result, but not the failed
attempts that precede it. We want the gold, but not the
grind.
Anyone can want a gold medal. Few people want to train
like an Olympian.
And yet, despite our resistance to it, I have never found
myself feeling worse after the hard work was done. There
have been days when it was damn hard to start, but it was
always worth finishing. Sometimes, the simple act of
showing up and having the courage to do the work, even in
an average manner, is a victory worth celebrating.
This Is Life
Life is a constant balance between giving into the ease of
distraction or overcoming the pain of discipline. It is not an
exaggeration to say that our lives and our identities are
defined in this delicate balance. What is life, if not the sum
of a hundred thousand daily battles and tiny decisions to
either gut it out or give it up?
This moment when you don’t feel like doing the work? This
is not a moment to be thrown away. This is not a dress
rehearsal. This moment is your life as much as any other
moment. Spend it in a way that will make you proud.
Our latest Membership brochure is ready for you to send out to
anyone you know who is interested in joining us at itSMFA
15 itSMF Bulletin—August 2017