About 90% of the time when I ask a client who is feeling stuck on a project WHY they want to do it, I hear something like this:
“Because I don’t want to be embarrassed by the guest bedroom anymore.”
“Because I don’t want to miss out on my chance for promotion.”
“Because I have let all this stuff pile up and should have dealt with it years ago.”
“Because I don’t want to be ashamed about my weight any longer.”
Notice the pattern? Every one of those is something they don’t want. I have watched clients go from dragging their feet for years to hopping into inspired action and completing their big project after making one simple change: They transform their intention.
Motivation that comes from pain isn’t really motivation.
It is beating yourself up.
It’s another form of “shoulding” all over ourselves.
It causes us to avoid.
We busy ourselves with other, less meaningful tasks.
Shifting your intention to something that encourages, supports, and expresses kindness and love fires up a completely different part of your mind, the part that is great at:
1) Problem solving
2) Resource gathering
3) Future planning
All the components that make getting big projects done a lot more likely.
Here’s how the “I don’t wants…” from above converted their intentions.
Why?
Before= Because I don’t want to be embarrassed by guest bedroom anymore.
After= Because I love the idea of hosting friends and family in our home.
Why?
Before= Because I don’t want to miss out on my chance for promotion.
After= Because I’m ready to enjoy new challenges and pursue new opportunities.
Why?
Before= Because I have let all this stuff pile up and should have dealt with it years ago.
After= Because I want other people to enjoy this stuff, if they’d like it, and I love how free and clear I feel when I create space in my home.
Why?
Before= Because I don’t want to be ashamed about my weight any longer
After= Because I’d like to live a long life full of vitality and energy.
(Excerpted from Jill’s book “There’s Not Enough Time… and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves.”)
