continuing and gaining trust

（大切なのは）当たり前のことを当たり前でないくらいやり続けること
(The important thing is) to continue doing ordinary things for an extraordinary period of time.

- Shinya Miyamoto （宮本慎也）

This habit trains you to have a stronger will.  Motivation apparently doesn't last -- your will is the power to continue when you don't have the motivation.  Many athletes (such as Ichiro Suzuki and the baseball player above) have achieved their goals not by motivation but by this strong will.

I think continuing certain things under any circumstances also gives you confidence.  It's like keeping a promise to yourself.  When you keep breaking it, you eventually lose trust in yourself, but if you can keep it every single day, it proves yourself that you're worth trusting -- which means you have confidence.

I've had a vague impression that this kind of confidence has a lot to do with "the power to endure" I had written about in my last post.  To endure the current unsatisfying state, you have to believe in your future self -- that she will be better and thus the future will be better.  To trust in your future self, you obviously have to trust your current self, and the above habit of continuing seems to be the key.

I've actually been trying to live a disciplined life lately (if that doesn't sound too funny), sticking to several things and making them a habit.  I'll report about the results after a couple of months!