Get Motivated and Get It Done

Do you agonize getting started on a project?  Do you dig through the mess on your desk because you’ve never been able to motivate yourself to clean it?  Do you procrastinate what is most important to you?  Then you probably have a motivation strategy based on discomfort and pain. 

We are motivated in two primary directions:  away from discomfort or towards inspiration; and the direction determines how effective we are at getting things done.  When we are motivated away from pain, discomfort or stress, then we don’t do anything until we feel uncomfortable and can’t stand the present situation.  When we are motivated toward pleasure, passion and inspiration, then we can’t wait to get up in the morning and move closer to our goals.

Why is this important to understand?  When we are primarily motivated by discomfort, then the further away from the source of the pain or discomfort we get, the less motivated we are.  The more comfortable we are, the less motivated we are.  So we get inconsistent results, in our work or business, in our health and in our relationships. 

Inspiration motivated people are those self-motivated, ambitious, forward thinking self-starters.  The closer they get to achieving their vision, the better they feel and therefore they enjoy getting things done.

This does not mean that all discomfort motivation is bad.  This type of motivation is important for recognizing and solving problems.  Safety inspectors are motivated by discomfort.  You wouldn’t want a police officer visualizing a crime free neighborhood.  You want your neighborhood police focused on what is wrong and out of place in order to prevent crime.

However, most of us are not in charge of safety inspection or crime prevention.  Most of us want something more from our lives than we are getting.  We want better health, more fulfilling relationships, or more money (some of us desire all three).  Yet we can’t seem to commit to the action necessary to make it happen.

So, how do we make the shift from discomfort to inspiration? 

1.  The first step is to create a vision of where we are going.  Imagine getting in the car and making decisions on which direction to turn based on what would make you most comfortable.  You would probably end up avoiding traffic and/or stop signs and traffic signals.  Maybe a nice drive down an empty country road with beautiful scenery.  Would that get you to work each day?

Now, when you know your destination, you take the most direct route, sometimes having to sit in some traffic or drive though areas with less than ideal scenery.  You put up with the minor inconvenience because getting to your destination is important to you.

So take some time to write down what you want and what it will look like when you get there.  Do you see yourself thinner, with more energy, maybe smiling as you look in the mirror?  Make the picture as clear, bright and in focus as possible.  See yourself having completed your goal.  You can even create a vision board with pictures that remind you of your goal.  Focus on it daily.

2.  The next step is focusing on how it will feel to complete the task.  In M. Scott Peck’s book, “The Road Less Traveled”, he opens the book with a simple sentence:  “Life is difficult.”  The sooner we accept this fact, the easier life becomes.  When we accept that life is difficult, then we can let go of our resistance to this fact and begin to focus on how we feel when we overcome the difficult moments. 

When we seek comfort without dealing with our challenges, we never fully enjoy those moments.  We usually feel guilty for avoiding something or we don’t fully enjoy the moment because we have the unfinished task hanging over us.  Instead delay your gratification, take care of what needs to be done and focus on how it will feel when you are done.  You will be rewarded for your perseverance.

So, after visualizing your scene, notice how it feels to have achieved your goal.  Really feel those feelings as you focus on the picture.  When you feel resistance, shift your focus and feel that feeling of completion.

3.  The third step is to use kind language toward yourself.  Take a moment and think of a critical person from your past, maybe a parent, teacher or friend.  Hear their negative criticism of you and your actions.  Does that make you feel good?  Do you feel motivated or is your inner child rebelling? 

Most of us talk to ourselves the way this critical person in our life did.  All of this criticism creates more stress and more negative self-talk and leads to us feeling bad and seeking relief.  Fear can motivate us, but there is a cost to our physical and mental well being.

Try this instead.  Say to yourself “It will be really nice when . . . “ and then notice how you feel.  Create and repeat affirmations.  It is especially useful to do this while looking in the mirror.  The more we are nice to ourselves and are non-judgmental of our faults, the more we will feel like taking action to improve our situation.

The good news is that we can all learn to let go of old patterns, learn how to use positive feelings, speak to ourselves in a nice voice and see how our vision will look when it is completed.  And enjoy the rewards of right action. 

If you want even more help getting things done, you can check our hypnosis mp3 program "Yes, I Can!".  It is designed to support you in getting all of your goals, both large and small, checked off your To-Do list so that you can enjoy your life even more.  Just click the link to read more about it.