Ever heard yourself say to yourself…”Oh, I just don’t FEEL like doing THAT right now?”
And then heard another voice say to you….”But if you don’t do it now, then you might not get another chance today / this week / this month!”
This conflict between doing what you know you SHOULD do and doing what you want to do happens for us all. It’s only a problem when what we want to do right now doesn’t help us achieve the outcomes we want. For example, exercise. This morning was what I would call the first ‘wintery’ day that we have had this year in Perth. It was dark at 6am, it was cooler than it had been, the wind was howling and it was raining…perfect for staying in bed right! Wrong! In another room I had two babies, who were still asleep, but would be awake soon and I had a window of 1hr to do some exercise and that was the only opportunity I was going to get today, so I either had to take it, or accept that I wasn’t going to be exercising today. For me, I’m happy to have a rest day once a week, but I like to train all the other days and Monday for me already had been a rest day…so I HAD to train today.
My point to all this is that I didn’t really feel like training…but a I knew I had to and that I would regret it later if I didn’t. So, to help myself out, I did a few things to actively change my state before starting my training. That way, I would enjoy the workout more because I would actually feel like exercising rather than forcing myself to do it unwillingly.
So I thought I’d share with you 10 ways to help you change your state, just like I did, because if I found these strategies useful, then you might too.
So here they are…
1. Get up and walk around for 2 mins: yes, that’s right, if you’re sitting down, thinking about what you should do then this works really well. Simply getting your body moving will change your state and change your energy levels.
2. Listen to your favourite, uplifting song: even better have a little dance while you listen to it.
3. Drink a big glass of water: sometimes fatigue happens because we are de-hydrated. If that’s the case, a big glass of water will refresh and re-energise you, to help you feel better and get you doing what you need to do.
4. Watch something funny on YouTube: laughter is the best medicine. Laughing releases good endorphins throughout our body which instantly have a positive impact on your state and your levels of motivation. I’m really liking the stand up comedian Michael McIntyre at the moment!
5. Watch something inspiring on YouTube: If you’re feeling a little like it’s all too hard, then watching a motivational, real life clip on YouTube about someone who overcame amazing odds to achieve their dreams will surely give you a boost to know that you too can overcome anything when you put your mind to it and take action.
6. Listen to a Podcast: knowledge is power, the more you know the better able you are to implement action and to see different options. Perhaps there’s an approach that you hadn’t considered before, one that is more appealing to you and therefore more likely that you will commit to it.
7. Change what you are wearing: sounds far too simple, but certain clothing will make you feel a certain way. Pyjama’s will make you feel different to your work outfit. So, if you want to feel good, put something on that makes you feel good.
8. Speak to a friend: choose a friend that you can have a laugh with, who understands you and also makes you feel good. Note: you don’t want to speak to the friend at this point who indulges in your challenge and supports your lack of motivation…you want to speak to the friend who can be honest with you and, as good friends do, help you do what is best for you.
9. Commit to something: still lacking motivation? Then sign up to an event of some sort. Could be for charity, could be a community event, could be a race. Whatever it is, the commitment to the event (especially the bit when you tell other people what you are doing) is a guaranteed way to boost your motivation.
10. Refocus on your goals: remind yourself of why you want to or need to do what you don’t feel like doing. Literally see yourself in your mind’s eye having successfully achieved your goals. What does that picture look like? What are you saying to yourself once you have completed it? And most importantly, what does that feel like? Now feel it, as if it were real, right now.
BONUS TIP: If all else fails…drink coffee! 🙂
Now all of these tips are like band aid strategies. They don’t solve the underlying reason why you might not be able to consistently do what you need to do to get a result, but they will, in the moment, allow you to shift your state and get you taking action. If you would like to address your underlying levels of motivation and you want to work on your consistency then check out my retreats. We work on both your mind and your body at these retreats to produce a luxurious experience with outstanding long term results.
Trust this has been useful.
Until next time…
Sharon
