Every morning, five days a week, I wake up early to go to work. Oh wait there is the Coronavirus; I work from home. I certainly do not always feel like waking up, but I do it anyways because I have to. Pays the bills every month. Remove that monthly salary and I am not showing up for work.
Things get more interesting when you do something that is not currently “paying” you. An example is me writing this post. I am not getting paid to do this. However, I have an end goal in mind that hopefully leads to a reward. The challenge is, since there is currently no reward or payment every time I write these posts, the motivation and discipline is low.
I enjoy reading books. Unfortunately I seem to enjoy reading more than practicing what I read. I am working on that. Here is a quote from a John Maxwell book I read recently, “It is not doing the things we like to do, but doing the things we have to do that causes growth and makes us successful.” I read that quote many times over until I decided to write about it. I was inspired but I wanted to go beyond that. That is how this post was conceived.
I can think of many things I do that I do not always feel like doing. I do not always feel like getting out of bed, eating, taking a shower, studying, working, keeping in touch with friends and family, writing, and – believe it or not – relaxing (in this busy world we live in, relaxing is important and yet hard to do). But all these things are necessary for me to have a happy, fulfilling and balanced life.
As an aspiring writer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, I do realise I need to master self-control and discipline. And no, they are not the same thing. Discipline is a result of being able to control yourself (self-control) over time. I only learned that while writing this. Thanks Google.
I am writing this post – mostly to tell myself – to start doing what I need to do, even when I don’t feel like it. I need to write consistently, exercise to keep fit – even when I don’t feel like it, and work on my entrepreneurial tasks irrespective of how I feel. If I don’t, then there will be little growth or success in my life. That is a tough one to swallow.
Ironically, I have proven to myself before, that when I give it my best at achieving something, and I do so consistently, I succeed. Then again, the past is the past. Past success does not guarantee the same in the future. That is why self-control and discipline are very important; they help in continuing that growth and success.
With that said, I have a plan. A plan without action is meaningless. Accountability to others is also crucial. Everyday, for six days a week, I will spend two hours doing something about my goals. That means two hours of activities that help me achieve my writing, entrepreneurial and philanthropic dreams. Now that I have put it out there, there is no turning back. If you are reading this, I hope you can hold me accountable.