Walking the dogs the other day I was chatting to Jesus about all the things I want to do and my sometimes very low motivational levels.
He pointed out to me that just because it’s something you love, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easy. What he actually said was;
Choose what you really love over what is easy.
It struck me particularly because so often things are presented as “do what you love and you will always be motivated”. If only it were so.
Sometimes it’s so easy to slip into Facebook scrolling or phone gaming when the time could have been used for something I am genuinely passionate about – because it cost me less.
It costs me to motivate myself to begin where as a coffee, my phone and the sofa, do not.
It is so easy to lose the battle of attrition by slowly doing less until all motivation has departed.
This is where timetabling and routine cane so helpful. It helps me say, “no I won’t sit down just yet, I will do this first’
And my customary (which sets out the rule of life I live by) helps me listen to more fruitful things on my phone as I eat my lunch.
There will, I suspect, always be times where I just veg out, but I hope these times will become more intentional and less the product of inertia.
Lord, please help me to spend my hours wisely, and please give me the motivation… To say motivated. Amen.
Understanding Alice 