I’ve seen The Terminator more than a hundred times.
I know that sounds obsessive, but hear me out.
There’s one scene that hits me the same way every time. Kyle Reese is trying to explain to Sarah Connor what’s coming for her: something that can’t be bargained with or reasoned with. Something without pity, remorse, or fear that simply will not stop.
Most people see a terrifying killing machine.
I see a masterclass in commitment.
A Robot With a Better Work Ethic Than Most Humans
If you haven’t seen the 1984 Arnold Schwarzenegger classic, here’s all you need to know: a cyborg assassin is sent back in time with one mission—kill Sarah Connor.
That’s it.
One mission. No distractions.
Shoot it. Set it on fire. Blow half of it apart. It keeps coming. By the end of the movie, there’s barely anything left of the machine and it’s still dragging itself toward Sarah Connor.
It never complains. Never second-guesses the mission. Never wakes up and decides it isn’t feeling motivated today.
It has an objective.
So it executes.
That’s a Success Cyborg.
Obviously, I’m not suggesting you become an emotionless killing machine.
But there’s one piece of its programming worth stealing.
Humans Have a Software Problem
Most of us already know a lot of what we need to do.
You probably don’t need another hundred hours of YouTube to tell you how to get in shape. You probably don’t need another twenty books before starting your business. You probably don’t need another podcast explaining why wasting six hours a day on your phone isn’t helping you.
You know.
Knowing and doing are two different things.
The problem is that we’re human.
We get tired. Scared. Embarrassed. Distracted. We question ourselves. And every time something becomes uncomfortable, our brain starts negotiating.
Maybe tomorrow.
Maybe this isn’t the right time.
Maybe I need to research this a little more.
Maybe I’ll start Monday.
Do that enough and you can spend years preparing to do something you could’ve started today.
The Terminator doesn’t negotiate.
There’s something useful about that.
Build the Program
Ask yourself:
What would happen if I spent the next two years relentlessly working toward the thing I say I want?
Not constantly changing direction. Not starting over every three weeks. Not abandoning the plan because motivation disappeared.
Just consistently doing the work.
Once you know what you’re trying to accomplish, work backward. Figure out what actions are most likely to get you there until your giant intimidating mission becomes a relatively boring list of things you can do today.
That’s exactly what you want.
You don’t need to wake up every morning and decide what to do with your life again.
You’ve already done the thinking. Now execute.
Find Your Malfunctions
Of course, you’re not actually a machine.
You have weaknesses.
So figure out what they are.
Where do you normally fall apart? Do you start extremely motivated and burn yourself out? Quit when results don’t come quickly enough? Miss one workout and somehow turn it into three weeks off? Spend more time redesigning the plan than following it?
Study yourself.
Your failures leave clues.
Once you know where you normally malfunction, you can start catching yourself before it happens again.
For me, one of the biggest lessons was learning that I don’t need to obey every feeling that enters my head.
I can feel uncertain and still work.
I can feel embarrassed and still publish.
I can feel afraid and still begin.
Feelings are information. They don’t always have to be instructions.
Stop Reopening the Decision
This might be the most important part.
Once you’ve decided something matters and figured out what you need to do, stop reopening the decision every fucking morning.
Motivated? Do the work.
Unmotivated? Do the work.
Confident? Do the work.
Doubting yourself?
Do the work.
You don’t need to become emotionless. And I’m definitely not saying you should ignore legitimate signs that your plan needs to change.
Change the strategy when necessary. Learn from what isn’t working. Rest when you genuinely need to rest.
But don’t confuse:
“This strategy isn’t working.”
with:
“I don’t feel like doing this today.”
Those are two completely different things.
The Terminator can teach you relentlessness.
Being human is what allows you to decide when to point that relentlessness somewhere else.
Become a Success Cyborg
That’s really the whole idea.
Pick something that actually matters to you.
Figure out what needs to be done.
Learn where you tend to fuck yourself over.
Then execute.
Not perfectly.
Consistently.
You don’t need another motivational video every time your enthusiasm disappears. You don’t need to feel like Superman before you start working. And you don’t need to interpret every moment of discomfort as evidence that you’re moving in the wrong direction.
Sometimes you just need to stop negotiating with yourself and do the thing you already decided to do.
That’s the piece of the Terminator I want.
Not the strength.
Not the lack of emotion.
Not the Austrian accent.
The refusal to stop because today happens to be difficult.
So define the mission.
Build the program.
Then run it.
And when something knocks you down?
Adjust whatever needs adjusting.
Then keep fucking moving.
Become a Success Cyborg.
Your man,
Uncle Blayde