How can I improve my motivation?
How can I improve my motivation? Today I had a bit of a breakthrough moment. I found a way to start doing all the things I have been procrastinating over. I realised that I needed to reframe them as a way of helping other people, and then suddenly my motivation went through the roof!
I have been procrastinating over starting a yoga class for months. But today I went into the spare room and rummaged around until I found my yoga mat. It hasn’t been used in years. The change in mindset had an instantaneous and very powerful effect on my motivation.
Equally, I have been putting off starting a regular mindfulness practice for years. I don’t really know why. Perhaps I thought I would find it boring, or was worried it wouldn’t work. I know all the benefits of mindfulness, and I love attending mindfulness classes. I have even bought a guided mindfulness course, but until today I had only listened to it once. The instruction to practice twice a day seemed too much for me. I kept making excuses. Well not anymore! As soon as I had dug out my yoga mat, I opened the mindfulness book on my Kindle again, re-read the chapter with the instructions for week one, and then listened to the audio recording straight away.
It was as if a switch had been turned on in my head, dialling up my motivation level to 100%. The secret to changing my mindset in this way was to start to see my yoga and mindfulness goals as not purely to help myself, but to help others. I made a decision to blog about my progress, in order to help other people to overcome their own procrastination. We all have goals we secretly don’t really want to do, but instead feel we should do (for more on this topic see my blog post from 21st February). By committing to post about my progress, I know that I will keep up the habits I have started today. I am so excited, and cannot wait to try out this technique on other goals that I feel ambivalent over, and struggle to get started on.
I am always motivated by my need to help other people. Knowing this about myself was what allowed me to find a way to reframe things today, which allowed me to make progress on my goals. This just shows how important it is to spend time on your own personal development, to work out your own values and what is important to you. Maybe you will be able to make similar breakthroughs that catapult you towards your goals, where previously you had been floundering. I wish you huge success in overcoming your own procrastination habit, and I look forward to hearing about all your successes!
Project 365
I set up this website after deciding that I want to build a more creative life for myself, so I can give up my job and be in control of my own destiny.
I have set myself a goal of publishing an article on my website every day this year, to document my journey from employment to self-employment.
The name I chose was Project 365 because I see this as a year that I have dedicated to learning and self-development, as I countdown to freedom. It started on 1st January 2021, so I have 303 days to go!
Why not check in on a regular basis to see how I am progressing, and what I have discovered?
I have decided to set up a blog, and to document my adventures in life through it.