Discipline is where most people stall out.
They think it’s the destination. It’s not even close…..
🤔
High-performers aren’t relying on discipline and neither should you.
You start a new project. You’re hyped. Energized. Maybe even a little obsessed.
For a few days, you’re on fire.
Then the feeling fades. You get distracted. Life throws something at you. Your plan gets shelved with all the others, and another project joins the pile of “almosts” and “maybes.”
If that sounds familiar, the problem isn’t you. You’re not lazy. It’s just that you haven’t gotten to the right level yet. Because getting things done isn’t one-dimensional. It happens in levels. Each level has its own energy source, its own traps, and its own way of pulling you forward (or of holding you back).
It usually starts with inspiration, that electric flash when everything feels fresh. A big idea hits, or a shift in perspective suddenly makes a path feel possible. It’s exhilarating, but short-lived. If you don’t act fast, the current dies out. That’s the curse of inspiration: it’s not built to last. If all you ever do is chase that spark, you’ll burn through dozens of ideas without ever making something real. That spark needs to be nurtured and stoked to be something greater.
Your next step might be to stretch your inspiration into motivation. At this point, you’ve clarified your ‘why’ and you know why getting this into the world is important to you. You believe in it and in your ability to build it. There’s emotional fuel behind the idea now; excitement, hope, maybe even a little pressure. You start planning. You make a to-do list. You visualize success. And then something happens (it always does). You get tired, overwhelmed, or distracted. Your boss throws a different project at you. It’s easy to get sidetracked, because motivation is still tied to how you feel. And feelings are fickle things.
From there, you might lean into the next level, trying to muscle your way through it with discipline and willpower. You grit your teeth. Push hard. You do the thing, even when you don’t want to. And to be fair, it works! (At least for a while). But discipline is a limited resource. It burns out. The more stressed or depleted you are, the harder it is to draw on. You can’t build a meaningful life on grit alone. You can make some genuine progress using discipline, but if you’re tackling a challenging project, you’ll hit your limit. Grit isn’t sustainable.
Now, it’s time to get serious, to level up again. Enter accountability. It can take many forms; a coach, telling a friend, investing some money in the project, having a hard deadline. The point is, you’ve added external pressure. Someone else is in the loop, and you feel more responsible. You don’t want to let them down. That extra layer of pressure can make an enormous difference. But here’s the shadow side no one talks about: accountability can become a crutch. You depend on someone else to keep you in motion. The energy isn’t coming from you, it’s borrowed. And the moment that external pressure goes away, so does your progress.
What you need is structure. That’s where systems, habits and routines come in. Instead of deciding every day whether to take action, you build systems that do the heavy lifting. You design your environment, your calendar, your rhythms so that the work flows naturally. It becomes part of your daily life, not something you have to debate. But even systems can go stale. Routines can become rigid. And when life gets really messy (travel, illness, a major disruption), those carefully constructed habits can fall by the wayside.
The pinnacle of being able to get stuff done is to have the work become part of your identity. This is where the goal or the action becomes integrated into who you are. You’re not trying to write more, you’re a writer. You don’t fit in workouts, you’re someone who trains. It’s not about motivation or habit tracking anymore; it’s just the way you live your life.
This is the sweet spot, the top of the mountain. When your actions and your identity are aligned, execution becomes effortless. But identity isn’t static. You have to nurture it, live it, keep proving it to yourself. Otherwise, it fades or fossilizes. You cling to an old version of yourself while your life changes around you.
Here’s a visual to remind you of the path.
So… which level are you at? You’re probably at different stages, depending on the goal. Understanding where you are now in your approach to getting it done is the first step to understanding what you need to focus on improving next, to bring you to the next level of performance. You can’t go straight to the top.
Pick a goal, any goal; something you care about, something you’ve been circling for a while. What level are you operating from? Are you still chasing sparks, or white-knuckling your way through with grit? Are you relying on someone else to hold you accountable? Or are you building routines, refining your systems, and slowly becoming the kind of person who just does your thing?
Here’s the good news: wherever you are, there’s a next step. A way to level up.
Inspiration is the match. Motivation is the wind. Discipline is the push. Accountability is the scaffolding. Habits are the architecture. Identity is the foundation.
The goal isn’t to live at level one or two or even four. The goal is to build something so solid, so natural, that doing the work is just part of who you are.
And once you get there?
You won’t need to get shit done.
You won’t even think about it. You’ll just live it.
Quotation I’ve Been Pondering
“The shortest answer is doing the thing.” — Ernest Hemingway
Journal Prompt
“What kind of person effortlessly does the thing I keep avoiding doing?”
Until next week!!
Work and live well.
Tim
Did someone awesome forward you this email? Sign up here to ensure you get my latest content.
Do you know someone who would benefit from this content? Please pass it along! ♻️
Let’s fix what work broke.
If you’re finally ready to take control of your work life and build something that works for you, here’s exactly how to start:
- Build Your Career Foundation (Free 5-day challenge). Start building the essential pillars of your career foundation with this free, step-by-step challenge. Gain clarity, align your values, and take action toward meaningful change.
- Book a Free Clarity Call. We’ll map out where you are, where you want to go, and how I can help you get there. No pressure – just a real conversation about whether coaching is the right next move.
- Schedule a Career Strategy Call. Stuck on a specific challenge? In this one-on-one coaching session, we’ll cut through the fog and design clear, actionable steps you can use right away.
