Discipline beats motivation
You can do anything you put your mind to, but you have to find your pace
I will be honest that I have struggled to write something this week. Usually my newsletter is out on a Monday or Tuesday; as I write this, it’s Wednesday night already.
After a week in India visiting my family; seeing my parents settle in a new city and home after living in Dubai for 25 years; being part of my brother’s first product launch (he made a pair of super cool sunglasses from packets of chips!); mulling over the death of a dear friend and how fragile life is; coming back to a relentless to do list at work and kids routines — my mind feels a bit like mush.
Discipline beats motivation
My newsletter has grown a lot in the last few weeks which is so encouraging I don’t want to lose momentum but the truth is, today I have needed discipline more than anything to write this newsletter.
As perpetually exhausted working mums, it’s practically impossible to stay motivated to do anything outside of your ‘must do’s’, a list that has no end. Consistency and discipline beats motivation, and you need a lot of it to sustain a ‘side hustle.’
Parenting is not a marathon; it is an 18 year long walk
I read a great article recently by Startup Parent that talks about how parenting is not a sprint, or even a marathon; it’s a long walk and you need to prepare for the journey and set your pace to thrive in the long haul.
“If you know the journey ahead of you, you’ll need to pack accordingly. You’ll want to hydrate enough, because dehydration will bite you in the butt within a few weeks.
Setting up a plan you can sustain might mean covering eight or ten miles a day instead of pushing for twenty-six at top speed. It’ll mean stopping for plenty of rest, and prioritizing shade + naps over speed. Losing sleep once a week might be okay—but years of lost sleep and overwork is too much.” Sarah Peck, Startup Parent
Finding your pace
I don’t have my pace yet and am working hard at setting it. I have another 16 years before my kids are adults and do not want to burn out, nor do I want to put my own projects on hold till then.
As I take stock of this wonderful community I am building (thank you!), I have so many ambitions for it that I am struggling to decide where to begin (poll coming your way soon!). I still work on this in the fringes of my time and want to make sure if I grow it, I can commit to it and deliver on my promise of providing you value.
As a multi-passionate person who feels like time is just passing me by, I do tend cram everything in. In addition to everything, this week I have signed up to attend 2 virtual summits (my list of replays to watch is so loooong!), and a course on creating AI prompts. If not now, when?
Tell me I am not alone?
This is my constant struggle that results in not enough rest, and we all know the outcomes of that - short temper, no patience, frustration. All these are counter productive and do not support growth of any kind.
Being kind to yourself
So whilst discipline is key to achieving anything, especially as a working parent, let’s not forget to be kind to ourselves. If our work, projects and life in general are sapping our good energy, what is the point?
Being kind to myself currently involves watching 1883 (prequel to Yellowstone - highly recommend if you haven’t already!); prioritizing exercise and sleep. If you haven’t already realized, I have no social life haha. A wise friend once said to me, every decision is a sacrifice!
You can do anything you put your mind to
If my brother can create sunglasses from chips packets, the hardest plastic to recycle in the world - it is no short of magic - anything is possible. You just need the discipline and will to see it through, and to be patient with it.
An overnight success is ten years in the making - Tom Clancy
If you are looking for some really cool sunglasses, which will be the most sustainable sunglasses you will ever own - they are made with packets of chips and give back to the waste-pickers that pick up the trash - check out my brother’s startup here. Shipping is only in India at the moment.
Watch his super trendy and emotive launch video below:
Using tools to work better and faster helps!
Also, if you are not using Notion yet - why aren’t you!? It’s really helped me work on anything from anywhere, at anytime. And now, it has AI built in too - making it even more useful. Sign up here!
Last but not the least, if you like what you read, please share this newsletter, it would support me tremendously.
Have a great rest of the week x