I get it. Getting and staying motivated to work toward your goals can be challenging.
When starting something new, there can be a burst of creative energy in the beginning that creates a ton of excitement. Then, after all the positive feelings wear off, the consistency fades and the negative thoughts start pouring in. There can be regret about why you haven’t done the thing by now and loads of overthinking that can feel like too much to deal with. That’s why I wanted to discuss the #1 reason you aren’t taking action and what to do about it.
The desire to be “productive” can seem overwhelming especially when you have a lot of responsibilities outside of what it is you are trying to accomplish.
For example, if you are trying to build a business while working a job, the desire to do nothing outside of the responsibilities of your 9 to 5 can be very tempting, but why is that? Why does it seem like even when you want to be productive, you just can’t bring yourself to do it?
Do you ever feel like you are fighting with yourself to get things done that you’ve been saying are important to you or that you need to do?
Maybe you even know that these looming tasks would make a big difference in your business, personal life, professional life or home. Why is it easier to overthink about doing the thing than it is to just buckle down and get it done?
Here it is- the number one reason why you’ve been battling with being “productive” is because… you are misdirecting your fear.
Here is what I mean:
Fear, stress and even pain are all gifts. Each one of these things serve a purpose. For the most part, that purpose is to trigger a reaction that will protect us from danger. You can think of it as a warning or a signal to the brain that something bad is happening or about to happen and we need to fight or flee.
The reason you’ve been putting off those tasks and fighting with yourself to get things done is because you’ve associated fear, stress and pain with the act of working on that task.
Somewhere in your mind, is the idea that it would be less painful to avoid doing the thing. It could be for a multitude of reasons. Maybe, you are afraid to fail or maybe you just don’t want to face the discomfort of getting up and getting to work.
One of the things I have battled with is the fear of “wasting time” and the fear of failure. I would overthink about the idea that I could spend time putting effort into a business that just fails and I would have wasted time. I realize now how that sounds. I had a reality check when I realized, I was wasting the same time overthinking when I could be putting my efforts into something that might turn out to be successful. I had to recognize that not trying was guaranteed failure while putting my effort toward something productive presented me with a chance.
I realized that I have to be willing to give myself the chance to be successful. The same goes for you.
Instead of being afraid to fail, or to feel uncomfortable, or to be stressed out, recognize that if you do not take action you will undoubtedly fail. Then you will be facing a load of other consequences including living with regret. If your dream is to build that business, think about all of the negative consequences associated with you not trying.
What will your life look like if you give up early in the process?
What pain will you be experiencing then? Maybe your goals are more personal. What will happen if you fail to nurture those relationships or invest in your well-being? Think about all of the negative things that will happen because of inaction and direct your fear toward those things.
That will surely get you motivated. After serious evaluation of what is at stake, you will probably have a change of heart toward doing the thing. You might even be spending more time overthinking about it then it would take to get it done.
To your success,
Adina
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