Staying motivated to do what needs doing

I'm a sucker for beginnings. I enjoy origin stories. I'm that person who plays her World of Warcraft character up to level 11 and then gets bored. I like the parts of the story when everything is shiny and new and full of hope, before the choices get narrowed and the path is fixed and I can predict the outcome. The moment stuff starts going downhill I get antsy and start cleaning the living room, assuming I'm at home. If I'm at the theater I admire the backs of other people's heads and count the lights in the ceiling.

I think this predilection for newness carries over into other areas of my life -- specifically the gym. For the first two weeks of working out, it always feels like I'm the star of a sports montage. Like I'm going to race up the museum steps at the end to stirringly heart-pounding music, or do bad ass chinups in the desert with a bunch of terminators on my tail.

The truth is, it's always just more of the same. There's never any climatic moment and the movie is over. IT JUST KEEPS GOING. Forever.

This character trait is going to affect my NaNoWriMo attempt. So let's address it. Together. How do I defeat the serial blah-blahs?

Up the ante. Progress and escalate the challenges. Treat the plateau like a hot potato.

Mix it up. Whether it's writing or exercise, change locations, change methods, keep it interesting. Staleness is the enemy.

Find a buddy. With writing I've found many buddies and it's helped my output immensely. For exercise and health, I know I have online friends going through the same stuff. I could also check out the Weight Watchers forums since I no longer attend meetings.

Or I could just find a nemesis. It'd probably be easier to find a nemesis.