So, always do more of what you enjoy and do more of what you do not like but need.
Most of the time, we are putting something off because we do not “feel” like doing it.
When we say things like, “I just can’t get out of bed early in the morning,” or, “I just can’t get myself to exercise”, what we mean is that we can’t get ourselves to feel like doing these things. After all, no one is tying you to your bed every morning. Intimidating bouncers are not blocking the entrance to your gym. Physically, nothing is stopping you: You just do not feel like it. But who says you need to wait until you ‘feel like’ doing something to start doing it?
Think about that for a minute because it is important. Somewhere along the way, we have all bought into the idea — without consciously realizing it — that to be motivated and effective we need to feel like we want to act. We need to be eager to do so. Yes, on some level you need to be committed to what you are doing — you need to want to see the project finished, or get healthier, or get an earlier start to your day. But you do not need to feel like doing it.
So, if you are sitting there, putting something off because you do not feel like it, remember that you do not need to feel like it. Nothing is stopping you Now!
So, what should we do if we are facing a task we do not want to do?
- Meditate on why you need to do this. Instead of giving in to distraction, sit there for a minute. Why do you need to do this task you do not want to do?
- Intention, not results. You are caught up with the results of the task — what will happen if you do it, what failure might result. So, forget about the results! You cannot know what it will be anyway. That is in the future. For now, focus on your intention: why are you doing it? If it is to make the life of a loved one better, then that is your intention. That intention is true no matter what the result is. Focus on this, not what bad things might or might not happen.
- Embrace the suck. Doing something hard sucks. It is not easy, and often you are confused about how to do it because you have not done it much before. So what? Hard things suck, but life isn’t always peaches, and roses on top (and a sprinkle of cinnamon). It sucks sometimes, and that is perfectly fine. Embrace all of life, thorns, and pits and all. Life would be boring without the suck. So, smile, embrace the suck, and get moving.
- Find gratitude. This task might seem hard or sucky, but there are a lot of great things about it. Try being grateful for the opportunity to do some good in the world, to learn from this task, to get better, to be mindful as you do it.
