Do What You Love and Love What You Do
“Do What You Love and Love What You Do” - I heard this phrase on a podcast recently, and it stuck with me.
The first part - Do What You Love - is a whole topic on its own. It’s about reconnecting with your passions, the things that light you up and fill you up with positive energy, and how that affects your overall well-being. I could talk about that for hours.
But today, I want to focus on the second part: Love What You Do.
There are plenty of things we have to do every day that we don’t love doing. For some, it’s exercising. You know it’s good for you, but you can’t seem to enjoy it. For others, it’s cleaning, decluttering, or sticking to a disciplined routine.
Whether that’s organizing your space, eating healthier, or following a schedule - these things don’t give us instant gratification.
Our brains crave quick dopamine hits - things that feel rewarding right away. But many good habits come with delayed benefits, and that’s where the struggle begins.
My FMD Experiment
This week, I’m trying something that might sound like absolute torture - the Fasting-Mimicking Diet (FMD).
Five days of calorie restriction. Tiny portions. Weird foods I wouldn’t normally eat.
No desserts. No coffee. No alcohol. Just a plain, boring diet.
One way to look at this? Pure suffering.
But here’s another way: FMD is designed to boost longevity, improve metabolism, rejuvenate cells, support brain function, and reduce inflammation. In short, it gives my body an amazing reset.
I’m doing this not because I love eating bland food, but because I love the long-term benefits - feeling lighter, stronger, and more energized.
Reframing the “Have To” Tasks
This is a perfect example of a choice we face all the time.
When you have to do something you don’t love, you have two options:
Resent it and feel miserable.
Reframe it and find reasons to love it.
If there’s something you have to do, but you don’t enjoy it - sit down and connect to your biggest WHY. Write it down. It helps your brain register it better.
For example:
Struggling with exercise? First, find something you actually enjoy (do what you love! ❤️!). But also, connect to why you’re doing it - not just to feel good today, but to stay healthy, to live longer, to be active with your kids and grandkids, have more time to enjoy this life and your favourite activities, and to avoid future health issues.
Dreading cleaning or organizing? Instead of focusing on the effort, focus on the feeling and long-term benefits - a clean, clutter-free space makes you feel lighter, more productive, helps you focus, and reduces stress. It impacts your mood, energy, and even your relationships.
It’s All About Mindset
This logic applies to everything.
Right now, I’m not focusing on the five days of restrictions. I’m focusing on how this reset will benefit me long-term. And that mindset shift makes all the difference.
So, if there’s something in your life that you have to do but don’t love doing - find a reason to love it. It will completely change how you feel about it.
And maybe (just maybe! 😉) you’ll start seeing it as something you get to do, not something you have to.
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Hi, I am Marina Korotkikh - your go-to Energy and Time Management Coach for High Performers. I help you go from Point A (Always too busy, never enough time) to Point B (Clear, Energized, and In Control) in 70 days using my P.E.A.C.E. framework.
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