Have you noticed that sometimes motivation feels effortless, and in other instances, it seems impossible to get going? Often our motivation, or lack thereof, depends on the circumstance, the day, timing, or what you’re pursuing. You might find it easy to edit and organize a drawer full of t-shirts, yet challenging to go through the piles of paper on your desk. As an organizer, while I often cheer on my clients to assist them when they get stuck, motivation is very much an inside job. By accident, I discovered a helpful strategy that is especially useful when you’re having trouble with self-motivation.
At the start of every morning, I practice mindfulness meditation. I use the Insight Timer app, where I experiment with different teachers and types of guided meditation. Often the practices I work with are breath-focused, but they can also include a focus that shifts from the breath to the body, to sounds, sensations, or thoughts. During meditation, it’s common for the mind to wander. If I’m focusing on a particular awareness, my mind can drift elsewhere. The practice is to gently bring my attention back to the focus of awareness without judgment. Return to the breath or the sounds, or the sensations in the body.
my big ah-ha
We notice what we focus on at the exclusion of all else. So when your attention is on your breath, you are only aware of the breath. When your attention is on the sounds around you, the breath focus disappears. How does this relate to motivation?
“We notice what we focus on at the exclusion of all else.”
Consider this. When you’re struggling to get motivated, what are you paying attention to? Are you thinking about how hard it’s going to be to get “x” done? Are you thinking that you don’t feel like doing “x?” Are you concerned that you don’t want to fail, or don’t have the information you need to move ahead? The negative and unhelpful messages you’re focusing on are sabotaging your motivation.
What if instead of when you lacked motivation, you shifted your attention? What would serve you better? Instead of focusing on how hard something is going to be to get done, what if you thought about the smallest next step? If instead of dwelling on your don’t-feel-like-doing-it ideas, you pondered how great it will feel when you begin?
The next time you are struggling with getting motivated, listen to what your mind is saying. How can you shift your awareness to focus on productive, supportive thoughts? Do you think this strategy will work for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation!
