Christine Casey ~ Change Begins with Choice

“What separates those who will become successful from those who will maintain the status quo is the ability to choose to find the inner motivation to conquer their complacency.” ~ Chris Widener

Finding motivation is not an easy thing to do especially when you don’t “feel” like doing anything. From time-to-time, we’ve all been there. If you’re experiencing “lack of motivation”, there are numerous things you can do to get past this point and back into activity…

First, evaluate whether or not you need a break. If you have been working non-stop, sometimes the inactivity we feel is our body (and emotions!) telling us we need some downtime. Okay, so how do you know if you really do need a break vs. our mind “telling us” we do!? Using exercise as an example, I know that to achieve the kind of results I want for my body and health, I must workout several times a week…yet I don’t always “feel” like it. Most times when this happens I know I’m just being lazy however, sometimes my body really does need a rest — such as if I’ve had a vigorous workout in the previous day or two. This short break will allow my body to regenerate itself…and after a couple of days, as I usually do miss my workout, returning to my exercise routine seems a lot easier!

Start small. Have you ever had times when you know something will take longer than you “feel” like doing it for that day? My workout primarily consists of an interval walk/run for about 40+ minutes five to six days a week (this is a pace close to 5 m.p.h.), and on days when I find myself “feeling” like I would rather skip my workout, I talk myself into doing a little less…perhaps only 20 to 30 minutes of walking. The point is that I am still making my commitment to exercise, even if I’m only doing a smaller workout — great because I got some exercise for the day and I keep myself from falling into a cycle of giving up on days I don’t “feel” like moving into action.

Change your routine. Have you ever heard of burnout? Sure you have…everyone has, and one reason this occurs is because you’ve become “bored” with a set routine. When this happens with my workouts, I will do something to “change it up” every now and again. Maybe I’ll find a different place to walk and explore, or perhaps I’ll see how much longer I can sprint during my intervals.

Reward yourself. Ahhh, here is one area that I bet most of us neglect…and one way to motivate yourself to do something when you don’t “feel” like it is to give yourself a little reward. Maybe I’ll allow myself to go to Sonic and get a small Cherry Slush if I not only go for my workout that day, yet also push myself just a little…making it worth my while.

And lastly, remember to reconnect the action with pleasure rather than pain. A concept that Anthony Robbins has popularized in the last several years has been what he refers to as Neural Associations — we humans tend to connect every action with either a pleasure or pain. When we find ourselves lacking motivation, most likely it’s due to connecting that action with pain rather than pleasure. With my busy schedule, there are some days I just don’t “feel” I have the time or energy to devote to working out. What I can do to get past this line of thinking is to re-associate, think about how good I will “feel” by working out that day, the weight I will lose, and being in better health, etc.

The next time you know you need to take some action yet just don’t “feel” like it, try some of these simple techniques…if you do, I believe you’ll not only “feel” better about yourself, you might just be surprised at what you can accomplish!

*In addition to staying motivated for success, in his book, Chris Widener also shares nine other rock-solid principles that will absolutely, positively, turn your Dreams into Realities!

P.S. I appreciate you stopping by and would enjoy hearing your personal thoughts about finding motivation (when you don’t feel like doing anything!) ~ please feel free to share in the comment box below. And, if you have found my post to be of value to you, and feel it would also be to others, then please free free to share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

Do you know what you want out of life?  Do you feel fulfilled?  In order to achieve a complete and happy existence, you must identify your goal in life — an objective that will give your life true meaning — your “WHY”.

The most important characteristic that enables people to stay the course through great difficulties is that they have a powerful purpose. Whenever you want to make any change in your life, the purpose behind your goal is more important than the goal itself. Did you know that?  In fact, it will keep you going when obstacles appear.  Notice I stated “when” they appear because obstacles are inevitable, it’s all about how determined you are to reach your goals that will assist you through these times.

Regardless of whether you want to start your own business, raise a family, travel the world or be a concert pianist, you can accomplish it once you specify what you want to accomplish and when.  Knowing your “WHY” intensifies your desire and commitment, and if you can create enough reasons why you want to make a change, there’s nothing that can keep you for reaching your goal.

What are some things that you can do to keep you moving in the right direction?

• Write down the goal that you’d like to achieve and list all the reasons why you MUST achieve it. Go ahead, make it a huge list of all the reasons that will excite and motivate you to stay in action every day. What are the specific benefits you will experience? How will you feel about yourself?  How will this victory impact your self-image and confidence? How will it benefit your loved ones?
• What will it cost you to not achieve your goal? Equally as important as identifying the benefits you will receive for achieving your goal, it’s just as important to identify the consequences of not achieving your goal. Give some serious thought about the consequences you’ll experience personally, professionally and spiritually if you don’t take the necessary actions each day to make your goal happen. What will it cost you if you don’t start working out consistently? If you don’t make the prospecting calls you need to make each day? If you don’t stop smoking? And as importantly, how will that make you feel? Our emotions drive our behavior, so fully connect with how it will feel if you don’t achieve your goal. You’ll be a lot more likely to take action and keep taking it if you regularly connect with the cost of not following through.
• Start every day by focusing on why you want to achieve your goal and the cost not to follow through. Every single day, think about how achieving this goal will positively impact other areas of your life.  Allow yourself to feel the joy and excitement that you’ll experience by honoring your commitments to yourself today to make that goal a reality.  And, just as important, review what it will cost you if you don’t achieve your goal. What will it cost you if you don’t start eating a healthier diet, lower your cholesterol, or save money for the future? And how will those consequences make you feel? Our emotions drive our behavior, so fully connect with the pain of failure to motivate you to take action.

I’d like to leave you with this final thought — isn’t it exhilarating to meet people who have a purpose and the drive to make it happen? Well, do you realize that can be you! Remember, goals give you sense of direction and something to get excited about.  Life’s journey will be much more enjoyable if you know your destination.  Take time to think about your goal(s) in life — your “WHY”.