How to Develop the Willingness to Act—and Finally Do the Things That Matter
How can we develop the willingness to take action and follow through on the important tasks in our lives? Notice that I intentionally avoided using the word "motivation" here, because I want to move away from that concept throughout this essay. Don't get me wrong—my goal is for you to feel more motivated after reading this, but there's a bigger issue I want to address first. Too often, I hear people say things like, "How do I get motivated to start going to the gym?" or "I just can't find the motivation to get myself to therapy." Instead of focusing on feeling motivated to do the things you're avoiding, I want to help you develop something even more powerful: the willingness to act. What's Wrong with Motivation? We’ve all experienced those moments when we felt totally motivated—those times when it felt effortless to make progress on our goals. Maybe you powered through a fitness routine, devoured a book in a...