When I was setting my Goals for 2018, there was a specific one I didn’t have much hope for but added anyway: “Always be working on a book to read.” Never in my life have I enjoyed reading for pleasure, but I’ve always liked the idea of it. So every year I tell myself I’m going to make it happen. After a few spontaneous Amazon purchases, I’ve discovered the genre that I truly enjoy reading: self-help books.
I mentioned this discovery of loving “self-help” books in my January 2018 Favorites post. Today, I’m sharing a quote from the most recent book I’ve finished: “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” (affiliate link) by blogger Mark Manson. There are a lot of quotable parts in this book, but the one I’m sharing today I stumbled across earlier this week as I was reading
It’s a lesson Mark learned (the hard way) over several years of failed product launches, advice columns, blog articles, and more. When he was clueless of what to do and scared of what the outcome would be, he would always remember what his high school math teacher would say: “If you’re stuck on a problem, don’t sit there and think about it; just start working on it. […] The simple act of working on it will eventually cause the right ideas to show up in your head.”
Mark calls this “The ‘Do Something’ Principle.” This concept of finding motivation led to what he says is one of the most important lessons of his life:
“Action isn’t just the effect of motivation; it’s also the cause of it.” It’s so simple, but it’s something I’ve noticed to work in my own life over the years—whether I’m working out, writing a blog post, being productive at work, drawing, cleaning the house, and so on. We may not always have the motivation (or have any idea where to start), but simply acting on what we need to do can end up being the inspiration we’ve needed all along.
If you lack the motivation to make an important change in your life, do something—anything, really—and then harness the reaction to that action as a way to begin motivating yourself.
-Mark Manson
It’s a good reminder for when you’re just sitting there frustrated because you’re not motivated to begin. Despite sitting there clueless, just start chipping away at little pieces, and slowly but surely you’ll find the motivation.
Do you find that forcing yourself to start on something, even if you’re not motivated, helps you GET motivated?
