We're probably all trying to stay committed to our New Year's Resolutions right now. So I'm going to write one of my motivational "articles" now to try and be of help. I write this for myself as much as anyone else.
I will say first though - The Stuns have a song called "New Fear's Resolution" which is about trying to commit to change in your life and how hard that is. Check it out on iTunes. If you like it please download a copy. Just search for "The Stuns" and it's on our debut album, "Life After The Black Box". In fact, the album has a number of songs about struggling to make changes or attain goals - "Beyond My Reach", "Here We Are Again", "Life" - so please have a listen if you haven't already.
I mentioned recently that my favourite quote right now is one from Ralph Waldo Emerson - "An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory."
One of the reasons an ounce of action is worth so much is because often just a small amount of action can result in a lot being achieved, often breaking through a procrastination barrier.
Say your garden really needs weeding. If you have a lot of garden the sheer size of the job usually results in procrastination. But resolving to weed just one little patch of garden wouldn't be nearly so hard, so you'd be much less likely to procrastinate. The result of this will at very least be that you gradually get your garden weeded piece by piece over a few weeks or more. You may say that you find it easier to just put aside a whole day at the end of those few weeks and do the entire job at once, and there's nothing wrong with planning like that, as long as it is planning and doesn't just result in procrastination. At the end of the day you have nothing to lose by doing a little bit now. I try to be very aware of when I'm planning and when I'm actually just making an excuse to procrastinate.
The interesting thing is that once you start that little bit it's common to actually continue on and do more than the little bit you planned to do, so the cycle of procrastination is broken.
This could well be likened to the effect of rolling a small snow ball down a hill. It's size and speed increase as it goes, although it only took a tiny bit of effort to get it started.
So getting started is the key. And the key to getting started is not taking on the entire task at once, which on a more general note equates to setting extremely realistic goals and plans so that you aren't overcome by the size of an entire job, are more inclined to get started now and so that you gain extra motivation from achieving your goals.
I feel like I say this a lot in my blog.
http://myfighttowrite.blogspot.com/2010/11/steven-beaver.html
http://myfighttowrite.blogspot.com/2010/12/breaking-down-wall.html
http://myfighttowrite.blogspot.com/2010/12/endings-are-often-beginnings.html
But then I guess it's because I'm trying to keep myself committed to this mindset as I know how powerful it can be.
I hope 2011 is a year that sees you get things done that you've been putting off. That you make changes you've been struggling with. That you change mindsets and perspectives you've been stuck in.
If 2010 wasn't a year of happiness for you then take a little action today to change the things that are keeping you down and you will without doubt make 2011 a year that is full of happiness. If in doubt test my theory. I expect that in the little action of testing my theory the snow just may start rolling.
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