I work from home an hour or two a day, and recently a coworker asked me to take on a new project. It’s complicated, tedious work, and I had a very hard time motivating myself to do it, but I knew it was important and no one else had a spare minute to devote to it.
One day, when I’d done every other task I possibly could but still struggled to start on the new project, I suddenly remembered STM’s post about a book called “Do Hard Things.” As I stared at my computer I thought to myself, “I do hard things,” then plunged into the project. Somehow, that mental declaration gave me the determination I needed to get started.
Practically every day since, when I’ve stared down the barrel of that darn project, I’ve found myself saying again, “I do hard things.” It gives me the momentum to begin, and gradually it’s getting easier for me to start on the task even without my little mantra. As Emerson wisely noted, “That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved.” Thank heaven.
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3 comments:
Oh, I just love you.
I have to do some hard things tomorrow. Maybe this will help.
What kind of work do you do? I had no idea.
I do hard things too...like home improvements by myself. Thanks for this post-it makes me more determined to finish! :)
STM, I work for a telecom company. Before my first baby arrived I worked full-time for them, first as an admin assistant, then keeping the books.
These days I just work an hour or so from home doing the busy work so that other workers are free to put out the bigger fires. Sometimes it's hard to make time for it, but the extra income is a godsend when you're on a student budget. :)
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