I’m a big fan of things working smoothly, with as little struggle, strain and suffering as possible.
Here’s a recipe for just those things…Struggle, strain and suffering…
Recipe for Getting Something Done: The Hard Way
- 1 cup of “I have to”
- 1 cup of “if I don’t something bad is going to happen”
- 1 cup of “this sucks”
- A tablespoon of “I should”
- A generous amount of “I’m not good enough”
- A pinch of guilt
Mix together. Push, pull, knead, force and mash to little or no positive results.
As distasteful as this recipe looks, it IS the recipe most people are using right at this moment to try and get something done. If I were to ask any of these people WHY they are trying to do what they are trying to do, I’d get all sorts of disempowering answers that really don’t mean anything.
There are a lot of ingredients in this recipe that are not helpful, but the main problem is what is missing from this recipe. What is missing is the REASON for the action. The motivation, the inspiration, the meaning.
If you are trying to do something, and you have no good reason for doing it…How do you expect to get it done? Forcing yourself? WHY are you doing it anyway? Doesn’t it make sense to you that things that are good for you you’d WANT to do? (I know, I know, that’s not true for you in a lot of cases right now, that’s because your system is broken, you broke it by using the recipe above.)
Sometimes, you are on the right track with the direction of action you are attempting, but you are not connected to the reasons why. Here’s an example of how you can change a no-reason action to something you really WANT to do…
Go to work – Old, no-reason thought…Because I have to. New, with-a-reason thought…Because it affords me the freedom to enjoy time with my family. Or, because I love working with others towards a common goal. Or, because I can learn about myself and grow as a person.
Now, if you rack your brain and your heart and you can find no self-affirming reason to be doing something, maybe you don’t need to be doing it!
If you want life to start flowing, have great reasons for doing what you are doing. If you don’t have great reasons, find them. If you can’t find them, don’t do it.
