Looking back, it’s been 939 days since November 12, 2012. That was the day my first article went live on JamesClear.com, nearly two years and seven months ago now. Through those 939 days, a mix of glorious and, at times, frustrating ones, I’ve managed a new post every Monday and Thursday. Week in, week out. Month after month. Year after year.
Today, I Feel Like Giving Up
But what about today? Well, today’s a different story; I’m really struggling. The desire to write just isn’t there. The routine feels particularly burdensome. There are no great ideas flowing, and even the decent ones feel like they’d take more time than I have to polish. Honestly, today, giving up feels like the easiest option.
Some interesting research out of the University of Pennsylvania points to grit as the trait most closely tied to success. And right now, I could really use a healthy dose of it.
So, when these moments of wanting to quit hit, here’s what I try to remember…
Your Mind is a Suggestion Engine
Think of every thought that pops into your head not as a command, but simply a suggestion. Mine, for instance, is currently suggesting I’m tired. It’s whispering to just give up. It’s nudging me toward an easier route.
But if I just take a moment to pause, I find other suggestions emerge. It also reminds me how good it will feel once this work is actually done. And there’s the thought that I’ll uphold the identity I’m striving for by sticking to this schedule. It even suggests that, despite how I feel, I really do have the capacity to finish this.
Crucially, none of these are commands. They’re just options laid out before you. The power to decide which one to act on, that’s entirely yours.
Discomfort Is Temporary
When you really think about it, most habits you engage in are over fairly quickly, especially when measured against your whole day or week. That workout will wrap up in an hour or two. That report will be typed up and done by tomorrow morning. This very article, soon enough, will be finished.
Honestly, life is probably easier now than it’s ever been for humans. Just a few hundred years back, if you couldn’t secure your own food or build your own shelter, survival was a very real question. Now, we complain about leaving our phone charger at home.
Keep that perspective in mind. Your life is generally good, and this discomfort? It won’t last forever. So, lean into this uncomfortable moment; let it build you up.
You Will Never Regret Good Work Once It is Done
Theodore Roosevelt had a point when he famously declared, “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” It often feels like we wish to tackle meaningful work, but with minimal effort.
We aim for our contributions to be valuable and recognized, yet we often shy away from the actual struggle involved. We desire a fit physique, but the thought of another grueling workout doesn’t exactly thrill us. The finished product is appealing, but not the series of attempts and failures that lead there. We’re after the gold, but less keen on the grind.
Wanting a gold medal? Most people do. Training like an Olympian, though? That’s a far smaller group.
And yet, despite all that resistance we feel, I’ve honestly never regretted putting in the hard work once it was finished. Some days, just getting started felt incredibly difficult, but the payoff of finishing was always there. Sometimes, simply showing up and finding the courage to just do the work, even if it’s just ‘average,’ is a victory that deserves recognition.
This Is Life
Life, it seems, is an ongoing tightrope walk between the easy pull of distraction and the often-painful push of discipline. It’s hardly an exaggeration to suggest that both our lives and who we become are shaped by how we navigate this delicate balance. What, after all, is life, if not the cumulative result of countless small daily battles and tiny decisions—to either push through or simply walk away?
That precise moment when the urge to skip the work hits you? That’s not a moment you should simply cast aside. This isn’t just practice, you know. This very moment is as much a part of your life as any other. So, choose to spend it in a way that truly makes you proud.