I don’t know about you, but when positive change has happened in my life, it’s happened because I decided to get it done. I didn’t rely on accountability from others (which helped me shift the blame from me to them) or on feeling externally motivated.
No, I just got to the place in my life where my current way of doing things felt intolerable, and I really wanted to make a change.
Ineffective motivators for change are:
- Someone else thinks this is a great idea for me
- I feel guilt that I should want to want to but really don’t
- Everyone else is doing it, so…
You have to want it, yourself. Otherwise, change is not going to happen. You can’t fix a ‘broken want-to.’
So, if you feel internally motivated, and you’re ready to go, and there’s something you really want for 2020, follow these simple steps:
- Decide clearly what you want
- Write it down
- Make a list of everything you have to do in order to achieve the goal
- Prioritize the list to make it a plan of action
- Look at the plan every day, and do something every day to move it forward
That’s it. Advice from others is good. Counsel is good. Feedback is good. But motivation has to start with you. And, if you feel that, for whatever reason, you can’t commit to a goal right now because you don’t have the bandwidth, or you’re too stressed, or you have bigger fish to fry, be at peace with yourself.
Action precedes motivation.
