“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
(article continued below ...)
In all of my interactions with people, I've never found anyone,
regardless of their level of success, who doesn't sometimes find themselves
simply not wanting to do the things that they need and want to do. It is a
part of human nature that there will be times that, in spite of all that we
need to do, and even desire to, we will find ourselves not wanting to do
anything. And what separates those who will become successful from those who
will maintain the status-quo, is the ability at those very crucial moments
of time when we are making decisions about what we will do, to choose to
find the inner motivation that will enable us to conquer our complacency and
move on in action.
I find that I confront this issue in my life on a regular basis, so the
following success strategies are not merely pie in the sky techniques, but
proven ways to get yourself to go even when you don't feel like doing
anything.
Honestly evaluate whether or not you need a
break.
This is the first thing that I usually do what I find that I don't want to
get to a specific action. The fact is that oftentimes we will have been
working very hard and the lethargy we are feeling is really our body and
emotions telling us that we simply need a break. And this is where it takes
real intellectual honesty because when we don't need a break our mind is
still telling us we need a break! But sometimes we do need a break. I'll
give you a good example. I don't particularly like to exercise, but I do
almost every day. Sometimes, I find myself before going to the club thinking
about how I just didn't feel like going. Most of the time I am just being
lazy. However, sometimes I realize that my body needs a break. So from time
to time I will take a one or two daybreak from working out. The benefits of
this are two-fold: One, my body gets a break to regenerate itself. Two,
after a day or two, I begin to miss my workout, and eagerly anticipate a
turning to the gym.
Other examples: Perhaps you are a salesman who has been phoning clients
for a week straight, day and night. You wake up one morning and just don’t
feel like doing it any more. Well, take a break for the morning. Go to a
coffee shop and read the paper. Go to the driving range and hit some golf
balls. Take a break and then get back to it!
Start small.
I'm at a point in my workout schedule where a typical workout day for me
consists of 30 to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise, and about 30 minutes of
weight lifting. So when I find myself not wanting to get up and go to the
gym, I will sometimes make a commitment to go and just do a smaller workout.
Instead of deciding not to go, I'll commit to doing 15 to 20 minutes of
aerobic exercise and 15 to 30 minutes of weight lifting.
This is also good for two reasons. One, I actually get some exercise that
day. And two, it keeps me from getting into a cycle of giving up when I
don't feel like moving toward action.
Other examples: Maybe you are a writer who simply doesn’t want to write
today. Instead of the long day writing you had planned, decide that you will
at least outline a couple of new articles. You will at least get these done,
and you may have found that you put yourself into the writing mood after
all.
Change your routine.
I have found that what keeps me in the best shape and burns the most
calories for me, is to do 30 to 45 minutes on the treadmill every day. Now
let me be very blunt. I find running on the treadmill to be extremely
boring. Usually I can get myself to do it, but sometimes I need to vary my
routine. So instead of 30 to 45 minutes on a treadmill, I will break down my
aerobic exercise routine into a number of different areas. I will do ten to
15 minutes on treadmills, 10 to 15 minutes on the reclining cycle, 5 to 10
minutes on the rowing machine, 5 to 10 minutes on the stair stepper, and
then back on to the treadmill for five to 10 minutes. I still get my
exercise, but I'm bored a lot less.
Other examples: Maybe you are in construction and you have been working
on the plumbing for a week, and it is getting monotonous. Don’t do the
plumbing today! Go frame-in the office.
Reward yourself. One way that I motivate myself to do something when I
don't feel like doing it, is to tell myself that if I get through the work
that I need to, I will give myself a little reward. For instance, I may tell
myself if I to get up and go to the club I can take five to 10 minutes off
my treadmill exercise, which will shorten my workout routine, and I'll allow
myself to sit in the hot tub for a few extra minutes. Hey, it works!
Other examples: Maybe you are a mortgage broker who feels like sleeping
in. Tell yourself that after the next three mortgages you close you will
take your kids to the fair, or your spouse to the movies. Maybe you’ll give
yourself a night on the town with old friends.
Reconnect the action with pleasure rather than
pain.
Psychologists tell us that we humans tend to connect every action with
either pleasure or pain. Tony Robbins popularized this even further with
something he calls Neural Associations. That is, we connect every action
with either a pleasure, or pain.
When we are finding ourselves lacking motivation, what we are probably
finding about ourselves is that we are associating the action that we are
thinking about with pain, rather than pleasure. For instance, when I'm
considering that not going to the health club on any given day, I am usually
associating going and working out with having no time, the pain of
exercising and weight lifting, or the boringness of running on a treadmill
for an extended period of time. What I can do to re-associate is to remind
myself that by going in and doing my exercise I will feel better about
myself, I will lose weight, and I will live longer. This brings me pleasure.
When we begin to run those kinds of tapes through our minds, we find our
internal motivating force unleashed and changing our attitude about the
action that we are considering.
Other examples: Maybe you are a counselor who really doesn’t want to
spend the day listening to people. Your association may be that it will be
boring, or that you will be inside while it is sunny outside. Instead,
re-associate yourself to the truth of the matter: Someone will be better off
because of your care and concern. Think of your clients and the progression
they have been making recently and how you have been a part of that.
About the Author:
Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of
Made for Success and Extraordinary Leaders, two companies helping
individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance. Get his
FREE monthly Extraordinary Leaders Ezine by sending a blank email to
leaders-on@mail-list.com or visit his websites at
http://www.madeforsuccess.com
and
http://www.extraordinaryleaders.com . Copyright 2002 Made for Success.
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
February 10, 2004
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