Motivation wasn’t enough for me once before
On an earlier attempt to build a business, the rejections I faced, and the difference between motivation and a decision.
Motivation is great. Honestly.
It feels good to wake up full of energy, convinced you could move mountains today. The problem is that not every day feels like that. Mine certainly don’t.
I once tried to build my own business. I had plenty of motivation. I thought I’d made the decision to do it. But when 20, maybe 30 people said no, I began to back away. My motivation kept fading, and nothing else was driving me then: no clear decision, goal or plan. I didn’t get where I wanted to go.
The words of Justyna Kowalczyk that I return to years later
I followed her competitions for years. In January 2014, I also had the chance to cheer her on in person at the World Cup in Jakuszyce. I took the photo that accompanies this piece that day.
Years later, I went back to an interview in Przegląd Sportowy. Paulina Maj asked her: “Where do you find the strength and motivation to work? What drives you to train so hard?”
Justyna replied: “I really like sport. I’ve been a fan since I was little; now I’m an athlete. It’s my profession, my life and work that I enjoy. But I don’t like words like motivation. If I have something to do, I do it. That’s it.”
It’s important to remember the context: she was talking about a sport she loves and work she enjoys. I don’t take her words as a universal formula. A professional athlete’s life and mine are entirely different realities.
Still, that sentence stayed with me. Justyna isn’t talking about a decision here—that part is my own reflection.
Motivation versus decision
Motivation says: “I feel like it.”
A decision says: “I’m doing it, even when I don’t feel like it.”
The right decision doesn’t guarantee success. But without one, failure is almost guaranteed. A decision by itself won’t change anything either: consistent action has to follow.
I do physical work in construction. I have a family, a home and an ordinary life to manage. At the same time, I’m trying to build new skills. My time and energy aren’t unlimited, so I can’t base my plans on a temporary burst of enthusiasm. It’s not about doing everything; it’s about not losing direction.
I don’t want to give 100 percent for a week or a month again, then wait for motivation to return. I want to see what happens if this time I stay committed long enough for something to really change.
I’m not writing this as someone who has mastered self-discipline. I haven’t. I still have days when I’m tired or wonder whether what I’m doing makes any sense.
I don’t yet know where this will take me. I’m still in the middle of it.
Quote source: Paulina Maj, interview with Justyna Kowalczyk, Przegląd Sportowy, 10 January 2012.