What keeps one motivated, in my mind, has got to be a clear purpose.
Something bigger than yourself.
You don’t want what you do – or don’t do – dependent on your feelings.
We should quit suffering with a shifting external motive, when the ease we seek is found in sacrificing for an internal ambition.
I mean, imagine if one only loved their spouse and children when they felt like it…
In this same way, I don’t write when the inspiration somehow falls upon me either.
I write everyday because that’s what writers do. And I am a writer.
It’s systems vs. goals.
“Is that what keeps you motivated, Uncle Jake?” I asked, wondering how he stays so fired up all the time. “Motivated?” Uncle Jake replied. “I don’t worry about motivation, because motivation comes and goes. It’s just a feeling. You might feel motivated to do something, and you might not. The thing that keeps you on course and keeps you on the warrior path isn’t motivation. It is discipline.
-Jocko Willink, The Way Of The Warrior Kid