Balancing Excitement with Discipline

Photo by Pineapple Supply Co. on Unsplash

The start of a new project is often defined by an abundance of excitement, energy, and ideas.

It’s easy to sit down and do the work, and in fact, may even be difficult to focus on anything other than the project.

But that level of energy and enthusiasm rarely lasts. Sooner or later, the easy early wins become smaller and momentum begins to slow.

You may still be excited about the long term prospects of the project, but it’s not quite as fun as it was just a few short weeks or months ago.

Sooner or later, you’re bound to face significant challenges that will force you to reckon with how badly you really want to continue slogging away at the project.

When things get hard, it’s only natural that you should look for ways to end the frustration.

The easiest way to do this is to quit.

This is particularly easy to do when the project started out as a side hustle, hobby, or experiment.

With little riding on the outcome, there’s little incentive to continue.

Every project will present challenges and require work that isn’t fun. In these moments you need to be prepared to fall back on your discipline to put your head down, do the work, and press onward.