There’s a concept called “Right Action”—Acting by using your logic to fulfill your values. We all have things that scare us, bore us , etc, but ultimately you can make the choice to act on what youultimately value. Sometimes, you just choose to do what you think is right, regardless of how you feel.
One thing that could help is to remove the word “should” for your mental vocabulary - As per above, every moment is a choice. You get to choose whether to act on what you value. This takes “saving the world” from something that is repelling because of obligation, to something that is compelling because of choice.
One other thing that might help is to remove any thoughts of “making the world a better place” out of your mind. This is a huge goal, it’s daunting, and it’s not actionable. Instead, what might work is to focus on a particular project, and even then, only the very next action to take. I have a long term plan to make the world a better place, but “making the world a better place” almost never enters my day to day thoughts except as a reminder of WHY i’m taking those small, individual actions.
Finally, something that’s helped me is to think about emotional and willpower sustainability (which you talk about at the very bottom). There’s a few things you can do in that regard. Firstly, find a project to focus on that excites you and is mostly work that you enjoy. Secondly, if you’re doing something that is boring/scary/unfulfilling to you (as every project sometimes requires) see if you can delegate it. Thirdly, If you can’t delegate it, make sure to take breaks and give yourself permission to do things that recharge you.
A few thoughts here:
There’s a concept called “Right Action”—Acting by using your logic to fulfill your values. We all have things that scare us, bore us , etc, but ultimately you can make the choice to act on what youultimately value. Sometimes, you just choose to do what you think is right, regardless of how you feel.
One thing that could help is to remove the word “should” for your mental vocabulary - As per above, every moment is a choice. You get to choose whether to act on what you value. This takes “saving the world” from something that is repelling because of obligation, to something that is compelling because of choice.
One other thing that might help is to remove any thoughts of “making the world a better place” out of your mind. This is a huge goal, it’s daunting, and it’s not actionable. Instead, what might work is to focus on a particular project, and even then, only the very next action to take. I have a long term plan to make the world a better place, but “making the world a better place” almost never enters my day to day thoughts except as a reminder of WHY i’m taking those small, individual actions.
Finally, something that’s helped me is to think about emotional and willpower sustainability (which you talk about at the very bottom). There’s a few things you can do in that regard. Firstly, find a project to focus on that excites you and is mostly work that you enjoy. Secondly, if you’re doing something that is boring/scary/unfulfilling to you (as every project sometimes requires) see if you can delegate it. Thirdly, If you can’t delegate it, make sure to take breaks and give yourself permission to do things that recharge you.