Discipline
Motivation comes and goes, but discipline empowers you to push past a lack of motivation. Discipline comes before motivation, not the other way around.
One way to build discipline in doing a particular task is with an if-then approach. Examples include:
- If I want to watch YouTube videos, then I will do it while exercising
- If I want to drink, then I need to go for a walk around the block first
Our ability to do hard things — to be disciplined — is governed by the prefrontal cortex of our brain. Kids who did better at the Marshmallow Test also had a more developed prefrontal cortex and were later seen to be more successful in life. (Possible correlation-not-causality here; source needed)