16) There’s No Replacement for Motivation & Discipline
“Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.” ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Just as the best book is worthless if it sits on the shelf, the best productivity tools matter not if you’re not motivated to use them. The key is motivation, and when it inevitably waivers, discipline to do the things you know you should even when you don’t feel like it. Truth be told, this is one of my greatest individual weaknesses and one that I continually strive to overcome. While I may appear to some to be a highly motivated, disciplined person, they cannot see the gap between what I aim to do every day and what I actually accomplish. And they aren’t aware of all the times I choose lesser tasks that I feel like doing over greater tasks that really matter.
I try to remember this lesson every time I find myself on Amazon.com or at Barnes & Noble searching for a new how-to book, thinking that a new resource will somehow make up for a lack of motivation. While the right tools certainly can increase efficiency and efficacy, they can never create motivation where it doesn’t exist, or instill discipline where it lacks.
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