Mindless exercise can be unbearable.

Without an objective in mind or an understanding of progress as it’s being made, it’s tough to find the willpower to show up.

I’ve gone through stretches when I just exercised because I “had to.” I didn’t have much motivation, so I just went through the motions, thinking about how I could finish faster rather than enjoying the process.

It was miserable.

The experience is vastly different when I’m lifting with a purpose.

Once I have something new in my routine to change it up, or I start to see some results, I suddenly can’t wait to get back in the gym. It begins to feel like I’m making meaningful progress towards something that matters instead of merely moving weights.

The same is true in just about anything we do.

My least favorite days at work have nothing to do with the about of time I spend or the difficulty of the situations I find myself in. Rather, they tend to occur when I lose sight of the big picture or when I feel like I’m not making a difference.

Even something simple like cutting the grass or vacuuming carpet can be enjoyable sometimes. The before and after is so drastic that it’s hard not to walk away with a sense of fulfillment (despite how menial the task might be).

The challenge is in how to apply this concept in every day life.

The goal isn’t simply to set arbitrary objectives and make ourselves feel good by making meaningless progress (vacuuming the carpet doesn’t get me any closer to make a sale), but it’s worth thinking about how we can implement little checkpoints or other means of highlighting progress to help us remember why we’re working in the first place.

-Brandon