Over the past few weeks, we’ve discussed the macro level of work and discussed how you can personally become competitive.
Today I’d like to discuss the elephant in the metaphorical room – overcoming resistance and maintaining motivation.
2020 has been a tough year. No matter who you are; if you exist on planet earth, this year has had some negative impact on you. This is just the truth/reality. But, and it’s a big but, not all of us have suffered. Why? Well I wasn’t sure until I read the book ‘The Choice’ by Edith Eger. It’s a fascinating story of a Holocaust survivor and I will review it at some point. In a nutshell, the book helped me to understand that fundamentally we all have a choice – Our emotions or Progress and those people who win are the ones that pursue progress not emotions. Eger described how she would wake up in Auschwitz and tell herself “If I survive today, tomorrow I will be free” A lesson in focussing only on today’s progress and not being overwhelmed by the environmental factors aka reality.
Overcoming Resistance
Michelle, how do I make this actionable and put it into practice?
Below is an example of how we go from thought to one of two actions – emotions or progress. From today onwards, I’d like to challenge you to spend as much time in the progress box as possible.
| Thought | Emotion | Progress |
| “They passed me over for a promotion and gave it to someone far less capable and hardworking” | “They don’t deserve me and they’re not nice people and I need to leave” | “How do I learn from this situation? How can I get so good they can’t ignore me? I will not let my thoughts stop me from progressing. This is a lesson not a failure.” |
| Today I can’t be bothered | “ Yes, do the bear minimum and start again tomorrow” | “Is this pushing me closer or taking me further away from my goal? What habits can I implement so that I don’t succumb to my feelings? Because I will feel good once I accomplish what I set out to do.” |
| I’m a woman of colour/not as smart/not getting interviews/not progressing etc | “It’s so hard, so let me numb the pain with food, films and whatever other distraction we can find” | “Yes but there are so many who have gone before me who prove that these statistics or facts can be overcome, how do I take one small step today and the day after that to get to where I want to go” |
“But it’s so hard to always be motivated enough to go to the progress box” – yes it is, but what’s harder is not becoming the best version of yourself possible. Jim Kwik said it best when he said
“If you fight for your limitations, you get to keep them”
Remember also that it’s about progress not perfection, it’s about gradually building up to being in the progress box for more time.
The easiest way I have found for sustaining motivation and keeping myself out of my emotions is to set up cues for yourself, so I don’t have to rely on my brain to think the right way. I love post it notes where I remind myself not only who I am, but where I am going and what I have to do to get there. Below are three examples of whats on my wall.
Identity post-it – “I’m the kind of person that can learn anything and overcome every challenge and I do it joyfully”
Action post-it – “Now I will do what others won’t so I can have what others can’t”
Future post-it – “I am the most successful leadership consultant and coach and my results for people speak for me”
Do you have a way of staying motivated that you’d like to share? I’d love to know, because there’s always more we can do on this, and the more ideas the quicker we get to being the best versions of ourselves.
Michelle
Following her degree in Politics and International Relations and a Masters in Public Policy and Management, Michelle has spent her entire career engaging with senior leaders. Over the past 7 years in particular, Michelle has enjoyed working as a trusted advisor to over 200 CEOs in entrepreneurial businesses, as well as larger organisations such as Microsoft, BP, Rakuten, BT and Unilever.