Not Every Moment Is Enjoyable
Every writer has felt like quitting at some point, right?
We want to believe that once we find the one thing we’re passionate about, that we’ll be motivated to work on it every day—but that’s just not the case.
I was taking out the trash when I started thinking about topics to write about.
Man, I really don’t feel like writing today.
That was the first thought that crossed my mind, and it’s one that comes by every once in a while. There are some days when you just feel too tired to think of or write anything, you know?
But instead of brushing it off, I decided to reflect on it—why do I feel this way?
Sometimes I wonder if having these thoughts means that I’m not cut out to do this or that I’m not actually enjoying writing. It’s as if I opened the flood gates—the ones that had been holding back all of my doubt. And, with what started out as one simple thought, I found myself drowning.
I’m not the only one on here who has felt like quitting at some point, right?
What it took to learn an instrument
As I was scrolling through Quora a few months ago, I came across a question that went along the lines of: How do I find the motivation to reach my goals?
I often ask myself the same question, so seeing this was reassuring—it reminded me that many others are also facing similar problems. I’m not alone.
But the truth, and what I’ve come to realize, is this:
We’re all trying to seek for what is not sustainable.
Motivation alone is just not a sustainable way to achieve your goals. It’s great to feel motivated and it can certainly help, but it’s best not to solely rely on it.
As a child, I would often feel reluctant to practice piano. I wanted to play pieces of music that I liked and that I could be immersed in—not the basic scales and arpeggio exercises that I’d been practicing for days already.
But did those periods of dread and feeling demotivated stop me from practicing? No, not really. I felt that it was something I had no choice but to do—perhaps I was scared of being scolded by my teacher, or maybe I feared I would fail in the future if I didn’t put in the work.
I also knew that those scales and arpeggios would build the foundation I needed to enhance my skills, as they would train my dexterity and control while playing. It was only through doing these not-so-enjoyable exercises that I could truly grow as a pianist and musician.
I guess, for any skill or goal you’re trying to achieve, sometimes you have to do the boring—perhaps even difficult—work in order to improve and succeed in the future.
Not only that, but I had been practicing the piano almost every day for years. Every night, it became a habit to sit at the piano after dinner and hit at the keys—sometimes passionately, other times out of exasperation.
By pushing myself to practice, even when I wasn’t in the mood for it, I developed a certain amount of discipline.
Now, I am able to perform onstage and in ensembles, and even give music lessons to other students. I’m able to do what truly makes me happy.
Why? Because I had the discipline that kept me going, even when I wanted to give up.
Hello, my friend!
Discipline—that’s what we should be looking for.
Actually, no. It’s what we should be cultivating. You can only become more disciplined by practicing it—by training yourself and your self control to stick to a task and/or a schedule. Does that make sense?
I’ll admit: I do not always have the motivation to write, or to even think about writing. There are times when I’ve wanted to give up. This is normal.
But I remind myself of why I started and I keep pushing myself to practice writing, because I know that it’s something that I love to do—even if it gets difficult at times.
And, just to be clear, I’m not saying that you should never stop working. It is important to take breaks for your own health, and I always remind myself to take a break from writing when I’m not feeling well enough to work. In fact, sometimes resting might just be what you need to keep on going.
But in the long run, based on what I’ve noticed from myself and other people, discipline is essential if you want to grow and reach your goals. If you want to see results, you need to have the self-discipline to be able to put in the time and effort consistently, not only when you’re feeling motivated.
Because motivation comes and goes—but once you have discipline, it can be your best friend.
