At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: 'I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I'm going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?'
– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
It's comforting to see that one of the biggest figures in history had to write this to help himself to get out of bed in the mornings.
I found out that whenever I struggle getting started with anything (getting started with my day when waking up, getting started with a project, or task, or answering that email I'm constantly putting off) it's because there's some internal dialogue that I need to have and I haven't paid attention to it.
Similarly to the questions that Marcus Aurelius asks himself in this quote, you should ask yourself why you're having a hard time getting started. Okay, you don't feel like doing it, but why?
Have a conversation with yourself. Figure it out. And then start. Don't overthink it: count down from five.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Let's do it.
And please, try to enjoy the process. Life shouldn't be a sequence of things waiting to get done.
Thank you for reading 🙏