On Motivation and Meaning in the Mundane
Lasting and transformative progress is achieved by dedicating due time to the fundamentals. The problem is that it's absolutely, unambiguously, mind-numbingly boring — at least, without the right mindset.
Lasting and transformative progress in a given pursuit is achieved by dedicating due time to the mere fundamentals. In the same way that a musician must practice their scales and a painter needs to know how to communicate with color, for those who choose to walk the path towards better health they must learn to make their steps minding their nutrition and their training.
For all the medications, interventions, bio-hacking, and diagnostic tools — at the end of it all what it comes down to is developing the right habits for your goal and performing them diligently. Incremental progress from steady effort applied so consistently that it becomes a part of you. If you really want to make a lasting change, well, that's the thing to do. The problem, however…
“…is that it is absolutely, unambiguously, mind-numbingly boring. At least, that's how it appears to be without the right mindset — and a lot of creative liberty.”
It is not glamorous to measure what matters. There is little adrenaline found when mastering the mundane. That being said, if progress and long-term change is to be achieved then one must learn to derive dopamine from their discipline and confidence from consistency.
Discipline Equals Freedom
There's a mantra I've held on to for myself and my patient-athletes as we pursue our goals, picked up from reading Jocko Willink:
“Discipline equals Freedom.”
It's important to note that this is not just some generic tough-guy speak. It is the idea that through discipline — consistency in training, honing one's skills, maintaining one's standards of performance — one can become free to do all the things that are possible as a consequence.
Because I am disciplined about my mobility I am free to run, jump, and climb with my kids without pain. Because I am disciplined about my daily nutrition I am free to eat without fear of disease. Because I am disciplined about my strength work I am free to push myself without fear of breaking.
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The Problem With Motivation
A system built on motivation alone is subject to the whims of one's dopamine-seeking, pain-avoiding self. When something is sufficiently shiny or the plan is too displeasing, it is normal and human to veer off path. In order to drive meaningful and lasting change, a system must be in place to keep that version of you in check — so that even in your least motivated state, progress can be made or at minimum, ground is not lost.
One must learn to emotionally separate the dopamine of walking the path from the dopamine of the destination — and choose to give deference to the pursuit. One must train oneself to see the tortuous path that is incremental improvement and feel invited by the potential for adventure rather than disillusioned by the dark wood.
Embracing the Suck
"Embrace the suck" is more than mere masculine bravado. It is a mantra that, when spoken sincerely, instills the idea that you can actually enjoy the thing you're doing to yourself. Is training hard? Yes — but look at this cool new thing I can do now. Does being hungry suck? Indubitably. But how cool is it that this sensation is the feeling of my body burning off the excess?
Both these ideas — discipline as freedom and the willingness to experience discomfort for something greater — are variations of a skill that is often valued but seldom practiced: delayed gratification.
The Vision Is the Engine
The ability to visualize the desired end state with such fervor that you can actually feel it is the transmutational engine that this entire pursuit requires. The underlying belief that you can actually claw the version of yourself you want to become from the realm of possibility and bring it into objective reality — that is what takes the mundane and turns it into something profound.
Your ability to craft and maintain the vision is what lets you see the adventure hidden in the habits — so that you can derive actual joy in living the story that is your pursuit. It allows you to feel the pain and tolerate the boredom because, though those sensations are truly still there, they no longer hold the same weight in your mind. You are too busy paying attention to the far more interesting phenomenon that is you changing for the better.
“What I'm saying is that if one is to become psychologically ready to take on the task of growing a whole new version of oneself, it's going to become necessary to see the transformation as something inherently worthwhile. Every rep is a step on the adventure. Every food choice, a challenge to embrace.”
Note that for all the talk about learning to cherish the mundane, the solution isn't to simply accept being bored. It is to see something worthwhile in the routine — something that takes what should be drudgery and turns it into something genuinely captivating. For you.
Did you know it was the same person who wrote Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Roald Dahl's whole thing is finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. Read a book. It's good for you.
Martial arts practitioner, StrongFirst kettlebell instructor, and physician focused on metabolic health and performance medicine. Dr. Dante writes about the intersection of clinical medicine, movement, and the science of building a body that lasts.
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