What are you going to do when you "don't feel like it"?

I did not want to write today. In fact, it was one of those days that as soon as you wake up, you wish it were already time to go to bed.

I got up not only tired but angry as well. Just one of those days. Unfortunately, we all have those days that we feel like doing nothing and days in which it is easy to reason that you deserve to rest or do whatever because life has been hard lately.

As I write this piece, I am tired and questioning if there is any difference in putting myself through this resistance today. Will anybody even notice?

The answer is "Yes, they will." Maybe not today, tomorrow, or when you wish you got that encouragement. However, if you do not work on your craft today, it is much more likely that in five years from now, you will be doing something else or people will just notice how much more you have to grow to be successful.

"The most underrated characteristic in the world is consistency." Joshua Medcalf

I watched a short video message the other day from Joshua Medcalf, the famous Train To Be Clutch speaker. Joshua said, "Consistency is the most underrated characteristic in the world today, yet it is a rare and invaluable one that drives greatness."

When I was playing soccer a few months ago, I always gave my best in practice even if I did not feel like it. I thought it was my calling, so I needed to be in it 100% of the time for my teammates and myself. Today, I understand a little more of my strengths but am not yet sure what the future holds for me. However, the best way for me to keep helping others now that I am not surrounded by college students and teammates is to write inspiration or guidance for them. If I do not write because I do not feel like it, will I be good enough at it to actually add value to others' lives? No!

Our world is full of news, innovations, and hype because of media. We have never seen so many "fifteen minutes of fame" for products, people, and brands in history. We are always looking for the next attempt for success. We do not give consistency to an effort for the sake of developing whatever we started! We start something and if in a few weeks or months we do not "feel like it," we hop to the next attempt.

Steve Jobs was not a great communicator. Carmine Galo, the author of Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, wrote "In his early presentations..., Jobs was pretty stiff, holding on to the lectern and reading from prepared notes. He got better every year. In fact, every decade saw a significant improvement in his style and delivery." [1]

Thomas Edison would work on the same thing over and over again. He said, "I failed my way to success."

How can we expect to evolve into anything without consistency? I know it is hard. I struggle with this every day because I want to work with big projects, write for the big publishers, or play for the big teams. But, if someone is not faithful with little, would you trust that person with much?

Live by principles and not feelings. It does not matter if you do five hours of something one day and twenty minutes the other, but it matters that you are doing it.

Thanks to Joshua Medcalf for the influence on this piece.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Talk-Like-TED-Public-Speaking-Secrets/dp/1250061539/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1476912052&sr=8-3&keywords=carmine+gallo

Photo credit: https://www.askideas.com/media/14/Bored-Man-Clipart.png

#performance #selfdevelopment #principles #consistency #values