Getting started on any new habit, skill, project, or goal is a tough task, but it’s usually made easier by an initial burst of motivation and eagerness. The more difficult part for me has often been continuing the task after the initial excitement has faded. That’s when discipline takes over for motivation, and that’s when I’ve struggled the most.

With that in mind, here are two phrases that help me whenever I enter that phase. When things get really hard and thoughts about giving up start to enter my mind, I repeat these to myself as a reminder about why it’s important to persist. I’m not exactly sure why these two phrases in particular have resonated with me so much, but hopefully they can help you too:

1. If it were easy, everyone would do it.

This one helps me when I’m struggling between the easy choice – not doing something – and the harder choice of actually putting in the work. It gives me perspective by reminding me that good, meaningful things in life require effort.

2. Time will pass anyway.

Would you rather be one year older and making significant progress on your goals, or one year older and in the same place you are now? The time will pass on its own, so you might as well do something in the meantime. Beyond the original meaning, this one also helps me when I get impatient about my slow progress – I remind myself that as long as I stay consistent, the time will pass and in the long term, my results will come.