So, a few weeks into the new year – and how are the goals progressing? A few slips here and there? Come on, be honest!
Are you feeling that the motivation that you had in abundance on the first of January is not quite at the same level? Are you thinking – if I lack motivation this early, then how in God’s name am I going to sustain it for the rest of the year?
Well, the good news is that you don’t have to rely on motivation – in fact don’t even try! Motivation is an emotion – and emotions fluctuate! Very helpful when present, but you cannot rely upon it to achieve your goals.
Let me share a conversation I had recently with a successful author. She is prolific – and, as I said, very successful.
I asked her how she kept herself motivated to write so many books, how did she feel inspired so much of the time?
Her answer blew me away – she said that she rarely “feels inspired”, or “motivated” to use my words, but she has a discipline to write between 8.00 and 10.00 every day, and the inspiration happens AFTER she gets going at 8.00 on the button!
Great lesson for all of us! You see she sets herself the habit, and the ritual, of writing every day for 2 hours – come what may! That is the core of her success.
If she waited for the “spirit of the muse” or the blinding flash of inspiration, she would not have the success she has.
So, what are the daily rituals that you have developed to make sure you achieve your goals?
If your goal was about getting fit, then what is the daily ritual? The same for your goal of losing weight, being more productive, learning a new skill, or whatever the goal is?
If it not a ritual built into your daily routine, then you are back to motivation and inspiration.
So, for the next 3 weeks, create daily rituals in your schedule that will drive your goals forward – must be in your schedule at a specific time. The scheduling is critical – as the saying goes, “if it ain’t scheduled, it won’t happen”
If you are not clear about how to go about setting rituals for your goals, email me and we will chat!
Why 3 weeks? Because research shows that if you do it for 21 consecutive days it becomes a habit – simple!!
So, what habits are you building in as rituals?
Love to hear.