Think about the times that you don’t want to do something. I’m not talking about when you don’t want to clean your shower or put away the dishes. This is about being resistant to doing the things we know will benefit us, the things that our future selves will be happy we did.
I’ve been running into some internal resistance lately. Admittedly, at times I feel overwhelmed by what I’m trying to accomplish. In fact, I came up with the idea for this post because I wasn’t in the mood to sit down and write up anything at all. My mind can get mushy these days because I’m writing a ton of content and putting so much brainpower on branding and things like that. Between creating a whole new business model, the pandemic, and our upcoming elections, I’ve definitely been known to completely check out and binge on RuPaul’s Drag Race instead of doing the work that needs to be done.
Other things I’ve been resisting but working towards are things like going to bed earlier, drinking more water, and even working out. As I write this, it’s been 33 days that I’ve worked out in a row (!!!!). That’s probably a record for me. And yesterday, when I reached to hit snooze (for the third time), I remembered my Why — which made me drag my tired self from my bed and get moving. Literally.
It’s a sad but true fact that, for me (and maybe you, too), that just knowing something is good for me isn’t always enough of a motivating factor. It ties in with my post last week about needing to stop eating dairy, as well as the fact that I’ve resisted doing any sort of video creation for about a decade now — even though a good friend was really pushing for me to go in that direction that whole time. So when I go to the big root of why I’m doing something, then I’m usually more likely to actually do the damn thing. Like get out of bed and start to sweat. For me, my Why comes down to me wanting to be the healthiest version of myself so I can spend as much time on this Earth with the people I love the mostest in the world. Sure, getting stronger and toning my body is a nice — and welcome — perk. But if me doing cardio every day helps me live longer, I’m in.
Sometimes I have to remind myself that I can do hard things. I’ve done lots of them before, and I’ve proven to myself that I can come out the other side essentially unscathed. It’s also about keeping this commitment to myself. If I don’t hold true to my own word, I can hardly expect others to do the same. Again, remembering my Why and keeping that at the forefront of my brain is the key to pushing me forward in the times I just don’t really feel like it.
Do you have any tried and true techniques for motivation? I’d love to hear about them, because a person needs as many tools as possible to navigate this life.