by, Scott MacFarland
December 17, 2024
Have you ever had a big dream, but never reached it? Do you find yourself going through cycles of motivation to achieve the dream, but just can’t seem to attain it?
I have this dream of achieving peak physical condition that I picture someone attaining at my age. Every January 1st, I wake up with a swarm of newfound motivation to go out to the gym, meal prep & track my progress – only to watch it all fade a few weeks (or even days) into the new year. The glitz and glam of achieving the goal I had set out to accomplish, just days ago, disappears. And every time this happens, I find myself asking, WHY? What happened? Why did I lose the motivation to conquer this great idea? The answer is: I need to think differently.
I recently came across this image somewhere in the social media world & it really struck a chord with me to the point where I had an epiphany. That epiphany was that I realized I’ve spent the better half of my life searching for the MOTIVATION to accomplish my goals and dreams, when all along I’ve should have been instilling the DISCIPLINE to execute. I sat back in my chair and thought to myself that yes, this is so true.
And this epiphany applies to everything that I’m working towards in life…personal, family & business goals & dreams. Let’s take my physical fitness goal as an example. As I stated and as the blog image illustrates, I’ve always had great bouts of motivation that boosted me mentally to work hard towards my physical fitness goals. However, the motivation, in extreme cases, only lasts a few days, when it arises & then it fades and I would find myself going back to my old habits or ways.
You see, motivation is great & we all need it to fuel our desires for achievements both big & small. However, motivation is emotions-based. It’s an emotion that comes and goes. Discipline is different, it’s not emotions-based. Discipline is doing the less desirable things consistently to achieve that goal. Discipline is about executing the strategy long-after the emotions of motivation have faded. Motivation brings all of the glamorous thoughts of achieving a goal, while discipline is the hard work that gets you there. Discipline is about showing up, day after day, regardless of how you feel emotionally, and executing the hard-work to get you to reach your goal.
The same concept applies to buyers in this housing market. You may experience bouts of motivation when you see a desirable home come on the market from time to time. You text your Realtor to schedule a showing, go and view the property, fall in love & make an offer, only to later find out that 10 other people also fell in love with the same property and made offers. Your morale starts to sink & then you get the call from your agent that your offer wasn’t accepted. Your emotions get the best of you, your motivation disappears & you give up for a few months until the next home comes along. Instead, you should instill within yourself the discipline to stay consistent, looking at every home that meets your criteria instead of waiting for the perfect one. Make offers, because every time you make an offer you learn something new, which helps you stay fresh and on top of the market.
I hope this blog post has helped you think differently about approaching and executing your goals. Once your motivation fades, use discipline to execute. Show up daily and do the things you need to do regardless of whether or not you want to. Don’t wait for that burst of motivation to return because you’ll continue to fall into the cycle of unrealized accomplishments year after year.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays & Happy New Year to all of you!