This morning, I woke up at 5:30am. I knelt down beside my bed and prayed. Then I made my bed, tidied my room, and went into the bathroom. There I did my morning skin routine. Then I walked downstairs where I steamed some milk and made a coffee for myself. Shortly after 6:00am, I got in the car and headed toward the city for my morning recovery meeting. By 9:00am, I was working. Some mornings I work out and then begin working. Although the workout, the beverage, and what I do for work has changed, I have had a similar morning routine five or six days per week for the last three years.
Some people might say that I am motivated. I don’t see it that way. Most days, when the alarm goes off, before I pray, my first thought is about myself and it’s not one of a motivated person. I am rarely excited to get out of bed. My first thought is often that I wish I had gotten more sleep, or some thought about whether I really want to get up. Pretty often, I don’t want to get up. But my life is not based on my feelings, and I don’t trust my thoughts until after I have prayed.
By the time I shut off my alarm, roll out of bed, and hit my knees, God has replaced my selfish thoughts with thoughts of others. There are people I can help. He has a plan for me today. Then I get excited about the day ahead. It has only been two minutes, and my thoughts and emotional life are completely different.
My life looks like the life of a motivated person, but in some ways, it is not. I am not a motivated person. I don’t even try to motivate myself if motivation is purposely trying to get myself excited and feeling like doing something. I don’t bother. I am just a disciplined person. I know what it feels like to live a life that depends on self and on motivation, and I know what it feels like to live a life based on discipline. The latter is far better than the former. I am in the discipline long game, not the motivation short game.
Comments