It became my mantra over the last few years.

For a long time, I deeply believed in motivation. If you surround yourself with the right influences, each effort will feel natural and enjoyable.

But that's an illusion. It took me a while to accept that motivation is a resource you can't sustain, and that's why most of us abandon the projects we actually care about.

What changed everything was stopping seeking motivation. I started building discipline instead: steady, moderate progress rather than going all-in and watching my commitment collapse the moment motivation dips.

I won't lie, it's hard at first. Especially when you're used to trying to do the most by doing the least. I had to unlearn the belief that an effort should be comfortable. But that's the path where I finally started going further, and where paradoxically I found the pleasure of doing again.

Schwarzenegger summarized it in his autobiography Total Recall:

"the more you do it, the more automatic it becomes, and the less effort it takes."

Yes, there's always an easier and faster way... And it's rarely the right one. Motivation is an entire economy with books, podcasts, videos... all built to make you feel like you're doing something, when you're actually not.

In sports, I make far more progress training consistently every week than going hard for three weeks and quitting. My investments work the same way, time does the work, not timing. steez, the agency I co-founded, holds together because of long-term client relationships, not creative flashes.

One thing for now: have a goal, build a realistic routine around it, and stick to it. Sooner than you think, you'll be doing more than you ever imagined.

With love,
Paul