Quote  ·  Added 1 October 2023

Many people think they want things, but they don't really have the strength, the discipline. They are weak. I believe that you get what you want if you want it badly enough.

No ratings yet

Filed understrength·desire·discipline

Reading

AI generated

Wanting isn't the same as wanting badly

We like to tell ourselves we want things. We want to write a book, get fit, learn guitar, change careers. But there's a gap between wanting something and actually wanting it enough to rearrange your life around it. Most of us live comfortably in that gap, half-wishing for change while doing almost nothing different.

The uncomfortable truth here is that this gap reveals something real. It's not usually that we lack ability—it's that we don't want the thing badly enough to sacrifice what we'd have to sacrifice. We want the outcome without the tradeoff. We want the body without the gym sessions, the book without the writing hours, the skill without the frustration of being a beginner. When we finally do something, it's usually because the cost of not doing it became higher than the cost of doing it.

This isn't meant as harsh judgment. It's actually liberating, because it means you don't need more willpower—you need clarity. If you genuinely wanted something badly enough, you wouldn't need discipline to do it. You'd do it like you check your phone or make coffee. The real work isn't forcing yourself through resistance; it's getting honest about what you actually want, versus what sounds nice to want.

Pat Riley

b. 1945

Pat Riley is a former professional basketball player, coach, and executive, best known for his successful coaching career in the NBA. He won multiple championships as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat and is credited with popularizing the concept of "Showtime" in basketball during the 1980s.

Comments

Sign in