Lisa's thought for the week

Why wait to be beaten with a big stick?

by Lisa Barlow

The problem some people have with motivation is that it really is an inside job (apart from if you’re a canoeist being stalked by a great white shark that is)! What motivates me to do something will be different from what motivates you. 

Motivation is the desire to do something. 

Some of us are motivated towards something desirable (the carrot approach) and others motivated away from an undesirable consequence (the stick approach). For example someone might start an exercise programme to move towards fitness, to enjoy all the benefits that being fit affords whilst another just wants to avoid fatness. Generally speaking moving towards something usually helps maintain a longer term motivation to do that which is necessary to maintain the results you seek.  Sadly the majority of people wait to be hit with a stick before doing anything about their situation. It appears we will do more to avoid pain than to gain pleasure (unless there is instant gratification of course). We wait for things to become unbearable before doing something about it, and yet we all know that prevention is better than cure. Maybe we need to suffer for our own spiritual development, who knows?

How do you see yourself? I have listened to many a person talk themselves out of doing something with their own self talk; ‘I’m lazy’ is not an identity statement that is likely to get things done. 

Some thinkers believe you need to change your thoughts before your behaviour changes, others argue that if you commit yourself to carrying out different behaviours your thoughts will change about yourself. Maybe it’s a cycle. Maybe it doesn’t matter what you do different, think or do. In which case it can’t do any harm to work on both thoughts and behaviour can it? If you change your view of yourself to a motivated individual who gets things done AND then commit the ACTIONS necessary for this to be a truth you will change your life. Seems a bit simple doesn’t it? Maybe it is. Maybe we convince ourselves that change is difficult, that we have no control over who we are. Just suppose we have more control over how we think and what we habitually do? How might our lives be different if we believed this to be a truth?

Lisa's Challenge: I invite you to choose one area of your life where you feel ‘out of balance’, either where you feel you are giving too much or too little time and energy to.  Commit to doing ONE thing differently for the next 7 days and notice any changes which happen as a result. Just notice.......

Lisa Barlow is a Personal Development Coach at Bare Health, Congleton. For more information or to book a one to one consultation with Lisa please do not hesitate to call us on 01260 408413