“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
– Anonymous
Hmm… there’s something about this quote that doesn’t sit right with me. First of all, let’s start by defining what motivation is. Motive, as per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “something (as a need or desire) that causes a person to act.” Therefore, according to this quote, we have a need or desire that causes us to act or start something.
Ok. That makes sense so far. I agree that habit could keep us going… for a while. Could habit sustain long-term action through challenges and obstacles? I’m not so sure it would. Habit coupled with a big enough reason could keep us going through the hard times and good times.
Wait – it’s a big enough reason the same thing as motive? So motivation gets us started and it also helps us keep going when obstacles appear.
In addition, doing something out of habit seems very removed from being in the moment and from feeling any of the positive emotions related to the end result wanted.
What are your thoughts about this quote?
