There is nothing more liberating than feeling in flow. You’re consistent with showing up for yourself and you’re oozing that get-it-done energy. Yet, on those other days, you'd rather schedule a saga of self-torment, agonising for hours (or even days) over not doing the thing, than actually just doing the goddamn thing.
Unfortunately, motivation isn't a knight in shining armour who'll swoop in on a white horse to rescue you from your inertia. Motivation has a strong aversion to the ‘I wanna be saved’ girlie. Instead, motivation builds quite an unbreakable bond with intentional action.
Now, that is all well and good to understand but we know most of the friction in getting things done tends to occur at the starting line. The battle to show up at that initial point is undeniably the toughest part of the journey. So, what can you do when you find yourself stuck in a rut, struggling to take that first step towards moving your body?
Find your why:
Take some time to ask yourself, and even write down why you want to move your body. There is no wrong answer but it is important to delve into honest self inquiry. Eg. I want to move my body to feel strong. Great, why? Feeling strong makes me feel confident and in control. Perfect. Why? Because having autonomy over my body deepens my relationship with myself. Why? I feel I can trust myself to do what I know is best for me and my body. Bingo. Can’t argue with that.
There can be numerous reasons why we move. To feel strong, cultivate control, build longevity, ease anxiety, remain social, maintain health or stimulate creativity. When we know our why we can switch the narrative. We start to remember that we get to do this, not have to do this.
Schedule it in your diary:
Motivation is a bit of a flake. One minute motivation is calling you 3-4 times a day. Next minute you don’t hear from them in weeks. If we have our movement scheduled it is much more likely that we will follow through regardless of motivations unreliable agenda.
When we make the time to move instead of finding time to move, we are more likely to show up for the person we desire to be. Every Sunday I write down what class, on which day and block out a designated time frame. I am constantly surprised how effective removing the decision can be. When we remove the decision we don’t wake up hoping to feel motivated, we wake up and move into intentional action.
Eliminate obstacles:
It goes hand in hand with my above advice. Less decisions, less distractions.
Putting the clothes out the night before is the secret sauce and I will stand by this until the day I die. While you’re at it, get the phone on airplane mode. If the clothes are out, the decision has been made, and if the phone is out of sight, let’s hope to god it’s out of mind.
Remember, you don't have to be saved by motivation; you can be empowered by action. Instead of turning away from hard moments, turn towards. It is not always going to feel easy in the moment but it does add up to something far greater and more meaningful in the long run.
So, go ahead and make that first move, and let motivational momentum do the talking.
Love,
Nicole x
Don't know where to begin? Try this gentle class to ease in. Wanting a little more, try me.