#634 doing

There are days when I need to do things at work that I really don't want to do, or I need to write a blog on an evening when I would much rather play, or I have a chore at home that I would prefer to do "tomorrow" instead of now.  I think everyone feels this way at some point.

Often when I am approaching procrastination, I am reminded of a quote by Thomas Huxley that I heard while in college.  It has stuck with me over the years:

Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the things you have to do when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not.  It is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson he learns thoroughly.

I believe that Huxley was spot-on.  It's part of why a college degree is so valuable, regardless of the chosen major or to some extent even what school it is from.  It's why a doctorate (like my friend Wendy just earned!) is even more rare -- because no one is standing over you telling you to go to class or do your dissertation.  You have to do the things you have to do because you are motivated to do them.

Think about these words of wisdom next time your brain is saying "I don't wanna ____." Often, it is the doing, not the wanting to do that is important.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
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