I was talking to Jason today, discussing aspects of life and building habits.
Last week was pretty rough, devoid of motivation to maintain my habits. To which he said to me, “to fall in love with boredom” and passed me a couple of blog post from James Clear.
- How to Fall in Love With Boredom and Unlock Your Mental Toughness
- How to Stay Focused When You Get Bored Working Toward Your Goals
- Lessons on Success and Deliberate Practice from Mozart, Picasso, and Kobe Bryant
The first blog was one I could relate to in an instant. These days, the mind is easily, actually very easily distracted.
Everything looks good when you start, you have the sheer motivation in the beginning, or as in terms of relationship, the honeymoon phase. Once it fades, it’s possible the motivation fades away too. This is were the consistency plays a vital role.
James talks of a strategy known as “Seinfeld Strategy” based on Jerry Seinfeld. At the core Seinfeld Strategy talks about not breaking the chain, and marking on a calendar each single day to note the task has been done. Over the years of consistency, the mastery will follow.
Few examples.
- Paul Erdos, the fantastic mathematician, published over 1,500 papers before establishing himself as a thought leader.
- Famous composers put in 10 years of under appreciated work before earning recognition.
- Milo of Croton, the legendary Greek wrestler, picked up a young calf every day until he developed incredible strength.
Remember, it’s a constant fight between procrastination and motivation.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez