When you commit to The Path of self development it will serve you well to actually take some time to truly acknowledge that you’re doing something that will benefit you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually but that it will also come with obstacles, challenges, resistance, lack of motivation, plateaus and setbacks. And that all of this is a NORMAL part of everyone’s journey to success.
Which is why it’s important to acknowledge right off the bat, when you’re full of motivation to start your new journey, that you WILL encounter a point where you don’t feel motivated. We all do. The difference between you and someone who is continually achieving their goals is not that they don’t feel lack of motivation, it’s that they take action DESPITE lack of motivation.
The solution? You need to have a plan already in place for when you feel like self-sabotaging. What will you do when you don’t feel motivated? Doing this in advance will give you more power and control when the time actually arrives (and it will, that is a certainty).
I’m not asking you to try and suppress the feelings of resistance when they arise because this method does not work in the long run, and it causes you to store that negative energy within you, only for it to come back STRONGER the next time. I also don’t want you to get caught up in the feeling, I don’t want you to identify with it. Instead acknowledge it. Make a game out of it and name it so you can say hi to it when it comes up. Let it be without judgement (the no judgement part is so important). Then do what you said you would do when when the feeling of “not being motivated” comes to pass.
You need to know that all those feelings that contradict your desire to work towards your goals are normal. It is your mind playing tricks on you and trying to get you back in your comfort zone. Until you get to a point where you have trained yourself to love the challenges in life, your brain will always try to lead you towards whatever is easiest.
It’s also important for you to fully understand that during those moments of resistance is your time to do the “inner work”, this is the time that you actually grow and change. Intentionally CHOOSING to act towards your bigger dream over getting sucked into the belief once again that not being motivated is an excuse to not take action is the catalyst of your inner change.
Here is what you gain when you acknowledge resistance and still act in favour of your FUTURE self:
- Self-Awareness: You learn what the triggers are for lack of motivation. Example: Are you tired after work and not motivated to exercise? Then put your training session in the morning or afternoon.
- Self-discipline: Every time you act even though you don’t want to, you cast a vote for the identity you are trying to build.
- Self-Fulfilment. There is something very satisfying about working in your own best interests for a bigger picture. Your life seems to have more meaning when you operate and act from your VALUES rather than allowing external stimuli to influence your actions.
We all know that embarking on a new health journey is challenging so here are some tips for you to deal with resistance when it comes up:
- As mentioned above acknowledge that it will be difficult and that you will experience lack of motivation and set backs from the very beginning
- When you set goals acknowledge all of your own common excuses you make for not following through
- Have a plan for what you will do and say to yourself when that moment arises
- If you REALLY feel that you can’t do it then do the task for 2-5 minutes and still feel good about yourself for doing that. Doing this breaks the normal pattern and reinforces what you want and in most cases you will end up doing more than the 2-5minutes
- If even that 2-5 minutes is too much for you for whatever reason and you have to skip, then do it without judgement of yourself and plan on the spot when you will make up for the missed activity
Planning for the tough times is how you get through the tough times!
