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Even though the world around is changing on a regular basis, you must build a foundation that allows you to keep going. Being motivating when you feel like doing nothing is a struggle everyone will face along their journey. By properly preparing for the day, you give yourself the ability to overcome those obstacles as you continue chasing happiness by rising to the challenge.
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Have you ever experienced the ecstasy of gaining momentum? It is like you can do no wrong and all of your ideas are million-dollar ideas. That is how you feel when you build a solid habit behind a goal you have set for yourself. Problems arise when you lose momentum and you have a choice to regain it or allow it to continue to fade.
Momentum is the name of the game
Only a select few are going to make through the entire year having accomplished their goal. So what happened to the everyone else? Life happened, that’s what. You were working and things were going well, but you had to travel for work or caught the flu somewhere along the way. After missing a few days in the gym, you realized it is not as easy as you thought to restart. That is because momentum is now pushing you towards inaction, so you are going to have to work harder to turn the tide and regain the momentum you had before the interruption. It is during this point in time that most people allow the momentum of inaction to overtake their gains.
When the window starts to close and you are fading back into your old habits, your mind is going to play tricks on you. Because you have momentum from your previous efforts, you are going to see gains even though you may not be keeping your commitment to your resolution. For me, when I would skip a week of working out, I would get on the scale and will have lost a couple pounds.
Then I tell myself I don’t need to work out to keep losing weight or I at least can work out less and still get favorable results. You know the feeling, do less and get more. That would be the best of both worlds, right? It would be if it existed, but the problem is you cannot do less and get more.
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Your living off your residuals
What you really need to understand is the gains you receive this week are the result of work you did the previous weeks and months. When you feel like doing nothing, you need to consistently remind yourself that the work you are doing today is going to set you up for success in the future. What this ultimately means is if you can build comfort about your future if you recognize your future is decided today.
It is important to keep this in mind because plenty of people quit chasing happiness too early because they are not seeing immediate results. However, the results are coming if you keep going. Think of it like planting a seed in the ground. The day you see the first bud break through the soil is not the first day it grew, nor is it the first day you watered it. Instead, it is the growth that has been taking place for weeks under the surface. If you stopped watering the seed at any time before it broke through the ground, it may have enough nutrients to break soil, but it is going to die shortly thereafter.
If the mind is willing and the body is weak
There are going to be moments where you feel like doing nothing and there is little you can do to change that feeling sometimes. Whether it is because you had to work late, were traveling or were sick in bed, you need a strategy to help you keep the momentum.
There was a study where they divided a basketball team into three groups.
- The first group was not allowed to practice or think about basketball.
- The second group was not allowed to practice and they only visualized themselves practicing.
- The third group was not allowed to visualize themselves practicing, but they were able to physically practice.
When the study was completed, there was an immaterial difference between the improvement of the group that only visualized themselves practicing and the group that actually practiced. In case you were wondering, the group that neither practiced nor visualized themselves practicing failed miserably.
Two things before we move on. First, before you go around visualizing yourself working out for an entire year, this strategy is just to get you through the few days you were not able to maintain your routine. This is not meant to completely replace you performing the physical activity. J Second, can you believe just how impactful your mind can be on your life? Whether your mind is your friend or foe, it is has something to say and it says it in a big way.
Listen to your messaging when you feel like doing nothing
You just saw an amazing example of how powerful the impact your mind has on your results. So it is only natural to wonder what you are telling yourself when you feel like doing nothing. It is not to say that it could not be a change in schedule, but to encourage you to reflect on what you are telling yourself. The important takeaway is to understand life is not happening to you, but that you are happening to it. If you have a “bad” day, that doesn’t mean you have to have a “bad” day. Instead, you can decide to tell yourself a different message that changes the way you perceive the event.
It’s okay to ask for help
When you feel like doing nothing, it is hard to be motivated to take action. If nothing mentioned so far motivates you to take action, then the next best thing you can do is to have someone else motivate you. This could be a coach, teacher, parent, friend or child. The key is to find someone who matters enough to you that you care what they about you. If you are a private person and no-one fits the build, then you may want to find videos and messages you can read everyday that shift your mindset into action.
Waking up at 5am everyday is a goal of mine and it is not always easy. Therefore, my wife, Inyam is my Charge partner. She is in charge of making sure I don’t push snooze too many times. Sometimes just by her getting out of bed, I am motivated to do the same. Who in your life could be your Charge partner?
Final thought
You promised yourself this year was going to be your year. Aren’t you worth the commitment? Don’t you owe it to yourself to see what your life can be if you successfully change your life? If for no other reason, you want to keep your word and keeping your word to yourself counts. There is no way you can successfully change your life if you don’t continue chasing happiness. You may think you feel like doing nothing, but in reality, you just lost connection with that feeling that started you on your journey. That moment you woke up and said, never again. Capture that moment in a video, on an index card, or on your bathroom mirror. Just put it somewhere you can see it everyday and use that fire to keep you moving when you feel like doing nothing.
Until next time,
Continued blessings,
Dre “Better Self, Better Wealth” Griggs
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