Remind Yourself That Emotions Don’t Matter in Motivating Motivation.
“I don’t feel ready” is a notorious killer. This phrase has gotten away with the brutal murder of countless hours of productivity and achievement. However, we continue to allow it because we do not recognize a simple truth: you do not need to feel the urge to do something in order to do it.
As the productive lifestyle blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree explains, we often allow our motivation to do things because of how we feel at a particular moment. However, if your senses were necessary to complete a task, many people would never go to work at all. You overcome these negative feelings because you have to do it. Do the same when it comes to what you want to do:
The next time you don’t feel like doing something, stop, pause, and ask yourself, “Since when did I have to do something to do this?” Then just do it. It’s very, very powerful. If we had to do something to do it, we wouldn’t even get out of bed in the morning, right? Just remember this little mantra for a month and your life will really change.
The most important part of this strategy is not how it is applied to what we really don’t want to do, but to what we really want to do but are afraid to do. A bad day at work can destroy your motivation to spend time with loved ones or work on a personal project you’ve been looking forward to. You also don’t need to be enthusiastic to get started with them. But overcoming this initial hurdle will set you on a path of rapid growth that leads to exactly the energy you are looking for.
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