“The measure of your success usually comes down to who wins the battle that rages between the two of you. The ‘you’ who wants to stop, give up, or take it easy, and the ‘you’ who chooses to beat back that which would stand in the way of your success – complacency.”Chris Widener
I have never met anyone who, no matter their success level, doesn’t find it difficult to not want to do what they are supposed to. We all have moments when, despite everything we do and desire, it is part of our human nature to not want to do any of the things we do. The key difference that separates the successful people from the ones who just want to maintain status-quo is their ability, in those crucial moments when they are making choices about the future, to identify the inner motivation which will allow them to move beyond complacency.
The following strategies have proven to be successful for me. “pie in the sky techniques”These are tried and true ways to make yourself go, even when you feel like it.
Assess whether or not you really need a break. This is usually the first thing I do when I realize I’m not ready to take on a particular task. It is often the case that after a long day of work, our bodies and emotions will tell us that we just need a break. This is the place where intellectual honesty is required. Even if we aren’t feeling like we need one, our minds still tell us that we do. We sometimes need breaks. Here’s an example. While I don’t enjoy exercising much, I still exercise nearly every day. Sometimes before I go to the club, I am thinking about all of the reasons I didn’t feel like exercising. Most times I just do it because I feel lazy. I do sometimes realize my body needs to take a break. Sometimes I take a break from my workouts for a day or two. Two benefits come from this: My body has a rest to recover. After a few days, my body starts to feel drained and I start to long for a return to the gym.
Another example: You might be a salesman and have been calling clients every day for the past week. One morning, you wake up and realize that it is not what your body wants anymore. Take a rest for the day. Take a break and go to the coffee shop. Hit some golf balls at the driving range. You can take a break, then go back to the game!
You can start with a small amount. My workout routine now includes 30 to 45 minutes aerobic exercise and 30 minutes weight training. When I don’t want to leave the house and get to the gym, it is possible to make a small commitment and still go. Instead of saying no, I commit to 15 to 20 mins of cardio and 15 to 30 seconds of weight lifting. Two reasons are also good to do this. It allows me to get exercise every day. Two, I am able to stop myself from falling into the trap of giving up when it isn’t working for me.
Another example: Perhaps you don’t have the time or desire to write right now. You can decide to outline at most two articles instead of spending the whole day writing. At least you will get them completed.
You need to change your routine. My treadmill workouts of 30 to 45 minutes per day are what keep me fit and help me burn the most calories. Let me tell you the truth. It is boring to run on the treadmill. I usually find the treadmill boring, although I do manage to keep up with it most of the time. Instead of spending 30 to 45 minutes running on the treadmill, I’ll break it down into several different parts. I will spend ten to fifteen minutes on the treadmill, ten to fifteen minutes on a recumbent bike, five to ten mins on the rowing machine and five to zehn minutes on a stairstepper before returning to the treadmill. While I do still exercise, my boredom is much less.
You might also consider other situations: If you work in construction, you may have spent a week working on the plumbing and now it’s getting tedious. Do not do plumbing work today. Get frame-in for the office.
Give yourself a reward. Reward yourself. This is a way I can motivate myself to complete a task even if it’s not something I feel like. One example: I could tell myself, if I go to the gym, that I will be able to cut five to ten minutes of my treadmill workout, which will reduce my time in the gym, and then I’ll let myself relax for a while by allowing myself to use the hot tub. It works, it’s true!
Another example: Perhaps you’re a mortgage broker and like to sleep in. You can tell yourself after closing three more mortgages that you’ll take your children to the fair or to the movies with your spouse. You might even plan to spend a night out with your old friends.
Connect the action to pleasure and not pain. Psychologists tell us for years that our brains are wired to link any activity with pain or pleasure. Tony Robbins popularized the idea with Neural Assemblies, which he invented in the past few years. We can associate every action with pleasure or pain. If we find ourselves feeling discouraged, it is likely that we have become more motivated by associating an action with pain than pleasure. When I consider not going to the gym on a given day, what I find is that I associate going with lack of time, weight lifting and the boredom of being on a treadmill for long periods of time. It is possible to help myself re-associate by reminding myself that if I go in to exercise, it will make me feel happier, my weight will drop, and I’ll live longer. This gives me joy. These tapes can help us find the inner motivating force that drives us to take action and change our attitudes about it.
You might also be a counselor that doesn’t enjoy spending time listening to clients. You might be afraid that the day will be dull or that you’ll be indoors when it’s sunny out. Re-associate with the fact that someone will benefit from your concern and care. Take a look at your clients’ recent achievements and consider how you were able to help them.