Hands down, the number one thing I’ve learned this year is that energy and discipline are temporary.
You can’t count on these feel-good motivators to get yourself to do something. You’re never going to be “the type of person” that just gets out of bed at 6am and works out, builds an independent business, etc. You just have to do it.
It’s why so many of the people I respect the most have kids. They have far less time than I do to do the work they want to do, but they outwork me time and time again because they maximize their limited time. It’s not a matter of discipline, it’s a matter of necessity.
At the beginning of the year, I talked about wanting to count my “perfect days,” days that I nailed all of my desired habits (prayer, exercise, reading, writing, etc.) and also felt like I meaningfully tackled my TODO list. I haven’t had a perfect day since the end of February.
I can think of a million reasons why, but the excuses don’t matter. “Just do it” is a cliche at this point, but it’s a powerful mantra.
Here’s to a Q2 of just doing the thing.