We all need motivation.

Motivation to practice your art. Motivation to get your work done. Motivation to wash the dishes, pay the bills, and to stay focused on the things you want to improve on.

So how do you find this elusive motivation?

Well...you don’t.

Stick with me for a second, here.

Once upon a time I used to rely on motivation. I used to wait until the need or inspiration struck me to make things happen. And I found I didn’t get a lot done.

I could try and relax, eliminate stress from my life, listen to music, and any number of other things people told me would help make motivation happen. Sometimes I’d get a little charge but more often than not it was fleeting and unreliable.

How, then, was I going to learn to spin poi? Or make videos? Or teach classes? Or number of the other things that I knew I was going to need to do in my chosen creative career.

I found a new way to get from point A to point B.

See, there’s a central problem with motivation: it’s out of your control. There’s some things you can do to encourage motivation to come but ultimately there’s no guarantee that it ever will. So what do you do when your ability to get things done is dependent on something out of your control?

You have to switch to using something that is in your control. You have to switch to discipline.

Unlike motivation, discipline is something that you can build yourself. It’s something that you can put in place and always rely on.

You can create a routine around the things you want to get done, making this as much a part of your day as eating breakfast or reading your Facebook feed.

And there are going to be days when you don’t want to show up to work. When spinning the props feels like a chore. When getting your work done feels like a slog. When your head is full of syrup and every step takes some effort. You’re going to be tempted to sit this one out. To give in to the whispers in your head telling you: “it’s okay to take a break and go watch TV instead.”

What do we tell the imp of sloth? To quote Game of Thrones: “Not today.”

Every day you show up to work is another deposit you’re making into the bank of the person you want to become. You may not enjoy making every deposit, but you will absolutely enjoy the proceeds from it years down the line.

Don’t trust in motivation--motivation is fickle and it is fleeting. Trust in discipline. Discipline is a house that you build yourself brick by brick that will stand the test of time. Discipline, unlike motivation, is something that you can control.

Make your practice a routine and always keep up with it. Day in and day out, make that routine the foundation upon which you build your skill, your future, and the self that you want to become.

Even on the days when motivation feels so far away from your grasp. Those are the days it means the most to keep doing the work. That power is within you--reach out and embrace it!