Motivating yourself to do stuff can be a total bummer and nobody knows it better than me. I’m totally motivated to do my high priority tasks and love it, like writing blogs, doing podcasts, coaching clients and kissing my partner. But there are a few things, like swimming in cold sharky water that really get my head spinning with “I’ll get to it just as soon as …. ” in other words, not motivated.
But those things I’m not motivated to do are really important. Swimming in cold water is so good for my back and the strengthening of my core that it’s a life and death exercise. And yet, I still struggle to feel motivated. So, instead of setting goals, I set anti goals. I ask myself “what don’t I want” and then ask “what do I have to do to prevent that.
Yes, all the positive thinking people, (who are also often the most depressed people) will scream but it works. Thinking “what don’t I want” triggers receptors that stimulate defensive behaviour and sometimes we’re really stronger in defence than attack in our nature. For me, this strategy works for clients who are really not able to stay disciplined to goals when time pressure squeezes everything into smaller windows. Try it before you buy it.
INSPIRED THINKING 