Let’s cut through the motivational BS for a second. You don’t want to do the thing. Your brain is serving up a buffet of excuses, and that couch is looking mighty comfortable right now. (especially for me writing this post)
Here’s the truth: successful people aren’t somehow magically motivated all the time. They’re just better at being uncomfortable, at doing things when they don’t feel like doing them.
The Motivation Myth
We’ve got it backwards. We wait for motivation to strike like some kind of productivity lightning bolt.
“I’ll start when I feel ready.”
But that’s like waiting for your muscles to grow before going to the gym.
Motivation doesn’t precede action. Action precedes motivation.
ACTION > MOTIVATION > INSPIRATION
The 5-Minute Fuck-It Method
When everything in you is screaming “not today,” try this: commit to just five minutes. That’s it. Five pathetic minutes of whatever you’re avoiding.
Because starting is the hardest part. It’s like pushing a boulder – once it’s rolling, physics is on your side.
Your brain loves completion more than it hates initiation.
Reframe the Pain
Instead of seeing the discomfort as something negative, view it as a signal that you’re growing.
That resistance you feel? It’s the same resistance that makes strength training build muscle.
Funny how it’s called resistance training right?
Every time you do something you don’t feel like doing, you’re strengthening your “fuck it, let’s go” muscle. And that muscle is worth more than any technical skill you’ll ever learn.
You can’t buy that, and you can’t put a value to that.
Every time you choose comfort over growth, you’re not just staying where you are – you’re actively moving backward. The world doesn’t wait for you to feel ready.
As fucked up as it may seem, time doesn’t care – about anything.
Systems Over Willpower
Stop relying on motivation. It’s like relying on the weather for your happiness – sometimes it’s there, sometimes it isn’t.
Instead, build systems:
- Put your workout clothes next to your bed
- Block social media during work hours
- Schedule your hardest task first thing in the morning when your willpower is fresh
Professionals do the work whether they feel like it or not. Amateurs wait for inspiration.
Being a professional isn’t about having some magical passion that makes everything easy. It’s about showing up when you’d rather be anywhere else but doing the thing you’d say you do.
Embrace the Suck
Here’s the paradox: once you accept that discomfort is part of the process, it becomes less uncomfortable. When you stop fighting the resistance, you can use that energy for actually doing the work.
Because you’re going to feel resistance. You’re going to want to quit. That’s not a bug in the system – it’s a feature. It’s your opportunity to separate yourself from everyone else who’s waiting to “feel like it.”
So, what are you avoiding right now?
Go do five minutes of it. Right now.
Not when you feel ready. Not when the timing is perfect.
Now.
Because the only good time to do the thing you don’t want to do is right fucking now.
This post only took me 8.5 minutes to write but it gave me so much more…
Joe DiAndrea 