Every time I set out to start a new project I go through 3 phases:
- Excitement – Thrilled to realize the potential of the new project I can’t wait to get started
- Accountability – I take whatever steps I need to get started and make sure I do them right
- Exhaustion – I lose steam and come up with whatever reason I can to put it off until later
If you’re like me, once you reach exhaustion you probably feel disappointed in yourself and it makes you question every decision you’ve ever made.
I have only one choice, and that’s to develop discipline. If I could, I would hire someone to tell me to get to work and belittle me for making excuses, but I don’t have the money for that. Instead, I’m going to create that person in my head and every time I find myself slowing down, remember to make that guy scream at me.
Too Much to Handle
I might have too many things going on to give each of them the attention it deserves. I’ve been like this my entire life, and I’ve always been convinced it’s a flaw but I’m not so certain it is anymore.
I like being able to switch gears in any given day from studying to writing to playing guitar to skating to building websites to drawing to stretching and so on. Should I give priority to just one thing for the majority of the day? Maybe, but I get bored of one thing quick, even if I’m super excited about it.
This blog is something that I know is important. One day I will look back at all my posts and feel like I had contributed my voice in a time where it’s important to have one, but something still holds me back from getting on my laptop and just writing:
Lack of Discipline
In order for me to get in a flow state where I’m writing a blog I need to wait for this inner voice to say, “Hey let’s write about this today.” But sometimes that voice gets drowned out by procrastination and that is an internal conflict.
My work ethic slips away as time passes only to be resuscitated by my guilt of procrastinating. Can I skip that odd mental torture I submit to? Well, if I had discipline I’d be a little more aware of it, and for the sake of bypassing that mental torture, this blog post that I’m writing at this second serves as a reminder to self discipline.
What to Remember
Life is a series of peaks and valleys or waves however you want to picture that. Knowing the excitement of the peak is eventually followed by the low of the valley prepares you for how to behave when you’re either on the peak or in the valley. When I’m on the peak I need to remind myself of the nature of waves, and to work hard while I’m in that flow state. When I’m in the valley, I need to embrace its presence and remember the peak is coming. Am I in a valley right now as I’m writing this? Feels like it, but writing this is helping me find the base of that next peak to climb.
Have any advice for self discipline? Leave a comment below or reach out to me on instagram @kyleknob
