Fifteen years ago, I was about to leave the country for work, without knowing when I’d be back. In the last week before my departure, I met up with a friend. He told me: “I could never do what you do. There are too many things for me here to leave behind”. I always assumed he didn’t mean to imply that I had very little to leave behind.
Muslims fasting for Ramadan often get asked: “so, not even water?” After confirmation that water is indeed excluded, the follow-up statement usually goes something like this. “Whoa, I could never do that.”
Of course, you could. You can leave everything behind, start all over, abstain from food and drinks during the day for a month. Overcome trauma. Heck, you might even be able to move a mountain.
Action isn’t just the effect of motivation, It’s also the cause of it — Mark Manson.
With enough intrinsic motivation, there is nothing we can’t do.