“Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” — Lao Tzu

It’s difficult to do things. 

It’s hard to drag ourselves out of our comfy little spots and start moving and getting things done. It’s hard to motivate ourselves.

When these moments happen, what do you normally think?

Do you think about whether or not you really need to do that chore?

Do you argue with yourself?

Or do you tell yourself that it’s something that needs to be done?

Here’s the thing. We often end up not doing what we need to because we think that it’s optional. We stay home from work because we don’t feel like going that day. We skip workouts because “just one day won’t do anything.” We also fall back into bad habits like eating junk food because we think it’s an option to do so.

Here’s the thing. If we could shift our mindset from “optional” to “absolutely necessary,” we would get a lot more stuff done. How do we do this? Well, as Lao Tzu says we should do, we do things when they’re easy — before they stack up against us. If we skip one day of work when we really need it, it’s probably better than not. If we skip one workout or eat one cheat meal every once in a while, it keeps us from stagnating and getting bored with ourselves and our habits. However, if we do this kind of thing every day… our life falls apart. They lose structure, which drags us down exponentially. It’s usually easier to build upon things that are already there — choosing not to do things removes those opportunities from being there.

This idea ties together most of what my past blog posts have been about. This includes forming strong habits, making obstacles turn into opportunities, and mastering our minds and bodies. All of these things immediately become easier when we tackle our small problems before they get big. 

Take the first step.

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How do you convince yourself to get up and do what needs to be done? How do you stop yourself from procrastinating?  I’d love to hear what you think in the comment section. I would also greatly appreciate if you left a like, shared this post with your friends, and followed. It’s absolutely free, and you can always change your mind later if you decide to do so. Also, stay tuned for future blog posts every Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, and try to be the reason someone smiles today 🙂