We think of motivation as an example of Newton’s Law of Inertia.
You better keep pushing that motivation ball or it’s guaranteed to slow down and stand still after a while.
As a mental model, it’s a disaster.
It implies that our default state is one of “not taking action” and we must continually push ourselves to be productive.
It sets up a subtle but powerful internal conflict between who you want to be (productive and focused) and who you “imagine” you really are (a procrastinator and a slacker).
It means you have to force yourself to do things doesn’t matter how meaningful they are and how committed you are to doing them.
Then often, you grow so resentful of all these self-forcing that you rebel by refusing to take action, defiantly asserting your independence from the internal taskmaster, by failing to achieve the goals you care most about.
What if there is an alternative?
What if it’s “taking action,” rather than “not taking action,” is our default state of being?
What if the major problem isn’t we can’t get ourselves to work on what matters, but we erect psychological barriers that get in the way of action that might otherwise occur without too much effort?
That has certainly been my experience.
When I think about all the things I wanted to do in my life but failed to do them, the lack of time or motivation was not the issue.
Rather, it’s the fears, anxieties, and lack of self-confidence that ended up placing me in my way.
This shift in perspective of “action” as the default state makes it easy to take action. It makes the whole thing a lot less unpleasant.
I don’t have to force myself to do things that need to be done. Instead, just focus on doing whatever feels pleasurable or fun.
Once the pressure is off, and I am enjoying what I am doing, the same activities that I was forcing myself to do, are done effortlessly.