Today is exactly one month out from the start of the new year, yet somehow those resolutions feel like they were made eons ago. The motivation that felt abundant has all but evaporated in the face of daily life. Does that mean your progress will evaporate too? That the goals you set for yourself are doomed before the first quarter wraps up?
It doesn’t have to be that way. It is possible to do the things you mean to do in order to achieve your goals, and here’s the kicker – you don’t have to be motivated to do them. Whaaa??? Does that sound crazy? Maybe even impossible? If it does, I’m guessing you are not a parent. Check this out…
When your two month old baby starts crying at 1:50am, forty-five minutes after you put him back in his crib after having been fed, burped, changed, fed and burped, trust me, you are not motivated to get up again when you had just settled into a deep, restful sleep. There is no part of your being that wants to get up and tend to your baby. Yet you do. How is that? How does an exhausted mama summon the fortitude to do what is needed, when it’s the last thing she wants to do? And how can we cash in on that steely determination?
The way I see it, a parent is able to do those superhero-like feats because she sees something as more important than her comfort. As delicious as it feels to sink into a soft, warm bed, the well-being of her infant is more important to her.
You don’t have to want to do the things you need to do to achieve
the goals you desire.
So, how important are your resolutions to you? Can you hang in there when the going gets tough? When other obligations try to elbow them off your agenda? A colleague of mine used to say, 100% commitment is a breeze. 99% commitment is a bitch.
It could be that your plan needs to be scaled back. Instead of going to the gym one hour before work, maybe you walk on your treadmill for 15 minutes before work. You can tweak your plan to something you can be consistent with. Baby steps are still progress. And…you don’t have to feel like it to do them.
What is the reward for doing that? For pushing through when you don’t want to? A level of badassery that can’t be matched anywhere else. Confidence. Feeling proud of yourself. I’ll take that over comfort any day of the week (well, maybe except Sundays…).
If you would like help in achieving your goals and creating the life you desire, schedule a FREE 30 minute call and we’ll explore how life coaching can help you get there.
