Taking small steps is the best way to kick-start your motivation.
Many of my clients come to me struggling to find the motivation to do something. It could be as simple as wanting to eat a bit more healthily – but they can’t find the motivation to start. Or maybe their job is causing them a lot of anxiety – but they don’t have the wherewithal to start looking around for a new one. And sometimes there are days when they have not got the motivation to get out of bed.
“If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”
Admiral William McRaven
There is a well-known speech by Admiral McRaven at the University of Texas. The Admiral sets out the principles of life that he has learned in the US Navy. The first principle is very simple: “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” It is the basic principle of starting off a big ambition by doing something small and achievable.
In one sense, Admiral McRaven was quite right – If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed – if you want to make some big changes, start off with a small achievable goal.
However, in another sense he has got it the wrong way round. Maybe it should read, “If you start off by making your bed, you can then find the motivation to change the world.” Because from a psychological point of view, motivation follows on from action, not the other way round. If you do something positive, the brain starts to build the motivation to do something else.
It seems a bit perverse – surely you need motivation to then take action? But no! The way the brain works is that you start with action and the motivation to carry on follows. It only takes a small action, and that small action is like the starter motor to carry on.
Many of my clients come to me because they are stuck – maybe they have a lot of anxiety and don’t know what to do about it, or they want to drive on motorways but can’t bring themselves to do it, or they are stuck in a pattern of drinking too much. The first thing that I want them to do is to take action – to find something (no matter how small it is) that they can do that will improve their lives just a tiny bit. Everything follows on from there.
When you take some positive action to do something, then the motivation to do something else grows. It is then that they are able to move on and start getting out of being stuck.
So if you find yourself struggling to find the motivation to move on with your life, start by taking one small step.
And Finally …
Some people need help taking the first few steps on their path to a better future. I help people make progress with their lives using the power of hypnotherapy. If you would like some help in taking the steps you need, I would be pleased if you Contact Me. I work from my clinic in Fleet, Hampshire as well as online.
References
University of Texas at Austin 2014 Commencement Address – Admiral William H. McRaven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBQLFLei70
The Myth of Motivation
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-addiction-connection/201708/the-myth-of-motivation
Picture courtesy of Mental Health Foundation / Angela Trevallion