Hello my friend,
Motivation is a lie.
We wait around to feel like it.
We wait until the time feels right.
Until the moment arrives when we suddenly feel motivated.
We have this concept backwards. It’s a catch 22.
We wait to feel motivated to do something in order to take action.
When really what we need is to take action in order to receive motivation.
It’s the doing of an action that brings the feeling of wanting to continue.
Mood follows movement.
Once we start a task be it working out, doing some admin, cleaning the house, making some sales calls, reading a book, going for a walk, the motivation soon starts to build.
But we too often let our thoughts get stuck in our way.
All the reasons why we should put it off.
We want what feels good right now.
Procrastination wins.
We simply don’t feel like it and that’s the signal we need to say to ourselves ‘mañana’.
James Clear in his book ‘Atomic Habits’ writes about the two minute rule.
This method was created to help form and build a new habit and it works very well.
I have also used it many times personally to get myself started on a task or an action I’m putting off.
I simply commit to doing the chosen thing for two minutes, then I will stop.
If after two minutes I still really don’t feel like doing it I give myself full permission to stop. Guilt free.
Therefore doing just two minutes becomes pretty easy to commit to.
No commitment after two minutes and I get to walk away with my head held high.
Yet what often occurs is interesting.
After two minutes I usually feel very different about the thing I’m doing.
I find that I have some motivation all of a sudden.
It now doesn’t seem so bad or difficult.
I may then go on and do 10, 30 or even 60 minutes on that given thing.
Again with the permission that I will stop after two minutes without any guilt if I still really don’t feel like doing it.
Win. Win.
This is why motivation is not as it seems.
It doesn’t just magically arrive. It sits out of view, quietly in the background.
We must start and act in order to obtain it. It finds us when it’s ready.
It’s like climbing a hill to get a great view. The more we climb, the better the view gets and the more motivated we feel to climb more.
Or think of it like rolling a heavy stone. To get it moving in the first place is by far the most challenging part, but once it’s starting to roll it becomes much easier.
It builds momentum.
The hardest step is always the first one.
But then it soon gets a little easier, better, and we like it more.
What could you do for two minutes right now?
Things I’m learning
A lesson from tennis for life.
Roger Federer is arguably the greatest men’s tennis player of all time.
He played 1526 matches in his career.
He won 80% of all his single matches, picking up 20 gram slam trophies.
But did you know what percentage of points he won in all his matches? 54%.
He lost almost half of all the points he played across his entire professional career.
How could he have possibly been so successful?
During his commencement speech in June 2024 he shared a crucial insight.
“When you lose every second point, on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot,” he told the crowd. “You teach yourself to think, ‘OK, I double-faulted. It’s only a point.’ When you’re playing a point, it has to be the most important thing in the world, and it is. But when it’s behind you, it’s behind you. This mindset is really crucial, because it frees you to fully commit to the next point and the next point after that, with intensity, clarity and focus.”
Present you vs future you.
“The present self and the future self are often at odds with one another. Your brain values long-term benefits when they are in the future (tomorrow), but it values immediate gratification when it comes to the present moment (today).
The future self wants to be trim and fit, but the present self wants a donut. Sure, everyone knows you should eat healthy today to avoid being overweight in 10 years. But consequences like an increased risk for diabetes or heart failure are years away.” - James Clear
Being stuck in your thoughts.
“If you can't change the radio station in your head, remember a new radio station will be on tomorrow - and you'll have no lasting memory of today's DJ.” - George Mack
Question
What would your future self thank your present self for doing more of?
That’s all for the week.
Thanks as ever for reading!
With love, Nick x
PS: Information diets - An article I learned from
PPS: After 15 months of writing weekly I got my first paid subscriber! Consistency is our best friend. Feeling very grateful :)