How My Excuses Improved My Motivation

Ever since my time with 343 Industries wrapped, I’ve been hitting the gym 4 times a week.

Like clockwork. If I’ve missed any days, I can’t remember them.

Believe it or not, this was one of my biggest panics when it came to starting a new gig. I’d gotten myself on such a good physical schedule, I was really nervous that I would break it and feel like hell.

Thankfully, I haven’t.

But this isn’t a story about keeping a workout chain going. This is a story about motivation.

When You Don’t Want To

Out of all of those gym days (and now we’re talking over 2 months straight), of course I’ve had days where I didn’t want to go.

I was tired.

I didn’t sleep well.

I felt like crap.

I just wanted to stay in bed.

I wanted to have a lazy day.

So how did I get the motivation to go?

Because we all feel this way right? You’d often rather watch movies, play games, or go down a YouTube rabbit hole before doing any work. Even if your work is fun and you make sound effects for a living!

Yeah, I know – it’s super hard to believe – but even as much as I love making things, I love being lazy and whiny sometimes too.

How did I go about not losing my streak?

Motivation is a Result, Not a Starting Point

Sean McCabe over at seanwes has a great philosophy on motivation I love to steal and I’m going to paraphrase the crap out of for you –

“Motivation is not a source, it comes as a result of doing. Motivation is the result of the commitment to show up.”

As much as that sucks to hear, I think there’s plenty of validity in that.

I don’t know that I’d 111% ascribe to it all the time – I’ve certainly done work that I just had to get through and didn’t feel motivated by later – but often, I do feel motivated after I push through.

Such was the case a few weeks ago, when I really did not want to go to the gym.

It was leg day. I often do my most difficult work on leg day. It’s not exactly fun work.

But, I did it.

The best part? I hit personal records on all the lifts I was doing that day. Every single one.

(I’m still a scrawny guy in comparison to most gym rats, don’t be blown away yet – give me a few more years)

Do you know what’s an incredibly fantastic motivator?

Crushing all of your goals when you feel like crap and you didn’t want to at first.

I shouldn’t have to explain why this is, but I will –

Imagine the next time I don’t want to go to the gym. What can I say to myself?

“Adam – the last time you didn’t want to go, you hit personal bests on everything!”

Even if I put up a fight and tell myself it probably won’t happen this time – I know that I won’t know that for sure until I just go and see. In fact, that voice in my head is guaranteed to be right if I don’t go.

And I don’t know about you – but that voice is more often than not a complete jerk, and I hate that guy. I’ll do anything to spite him.

Talking Good to Yourself

You know all that crap you talk to yourself?

I know plenty of you know this – but you are usually the only person holding you back.

It’s excuses, versus commitment. Commit to one thing (at first) and stick to it.

I used to be awful at this too. I’d have 18 million projects I wanted to do – even more ideas zinging through my head at any given time.

All of them seemed so great and like they could make me or somebody a millionaire.

A few years ago that stopped, and I’ve committed myself to the things I want to do. Even going to the gym – where going on bad days motivates me to go on bad days again.

You can learn how to get committed, stay committed, and ingrain itself in your mind to show up on bad days too. Because you might make your best sounds on a day where you just didn’t feel like it.

How?

I cover an entire process for this in Quit Aspiring.

I know plenty of you that read this are already in game development – but the principles there apply to you too if you struggle to get your own things done.

And if you want that game audio job, are willing to get serious, and actually commit to doing it – for real?

Then it’s the best guide I can possibly give you.

Even if you don’t go pick it up (but, go pick it up) – commit to finishing something that you’re procrastinating on within the next 24 hours. Something small – no huge projects – but something you’ve neglected a while.

Feel free to email me when you’re done kicking yourself for putting off a task you could’ve done a long time ago in under an hour.