We have all heard sayings like “Life will throw you a curve
ball once in a while”, and, “When it rains, it pours”.
An easy trap to fall into, is feeling on top of the world
when everything is going well, yet getting knocked down and feeling depressed
when things don’t work out as planned. Life throws a curve ball, and all of
sudden things can go from “Life is perfect” to “Let me find a rock to crawl
under”. The weather of your life is just
perfect, and out of nowhere it starts
POURING.
Feelings of success, motivation and stability can very
quickly turn into suffering, stagnation and stressful uncertainty. If we don’t
have strategies to hit back these curve balls, it can put the brakes on our momentum
and prevent us from moving forward.
Even the most motivated people on the planet, feel down and
in a slump sometimes. The difference between those who more consistently get
results and those who suffer, is being able to motivate oneself despite
feeling down or stuck.
MYTH: We feel good only when everything is going right. If we buy in to this belief, then we will be
tossed about like an emotional rag doll every time some bad weather comes
along. Yes the storm always passes, but
significant suffering will be experienced during the downpour, which will take
a toll on our health and vitality.
REALITY: We need to be able to actively maintain our mood
and performance when everything is going WRONG! It sounds simple enough, but
without awareness and practice it is all too easy to revert to the emotional
rollercoaster of life’s ups and downs.
Here are 3 ways to stay motivated when you feel stuck.
1. Accept
Uncertainty.
“The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the
amount of uncertainty you can comfortably deal with.”
I just love this quote from Anthony Robbins. After hearing
it I have added “I eat uncertainty for breakfast!” to my morning
affirmations. It has had an incredible
effect, and I find myself repeating this (in my head or out loud depending on
the situation) whenever a curve ball comes my way.
2. Believe in
Yourself, then take Action.
“The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't
are both right. Which one are you?”
An awesome quote from Henry Ford. If a curve ball comes your way, and you get
stuck on the negative thought train of self-doubt, you will magnify the amount
of suffering you experience. Being stuck
in self-doubt will cultivate fear (fear
destroys confidence), and your mind will go to work on coming up with
excuses. Reasons why you “can’t”. Welcome to Victim Town.
The fear we experience when we face tough problems can be
paralysing. Yet there is a cure, and it
is Taking Action. Action cures fear.
Yet without Hope, you are unlikely to take action. Believing in yourself
cultivates Hope, so start there.
Practice immediately replacing those ANTs –Automatic Negative Thoughts-
with opposite positive ones. This will destroy those negative thoughts before
they become mental monsters.
3. Focus only on
what you can control.
Most of the time it is our perception of events rather than
the events themselves that cause us to suffer. Ultimately we can’t control
external events or situations, but we always maintain full control of our
opinions of those events. Use your perception wisely.
If we become addicted to focussing on things outside our
control, we can expect sleep problems, low energy, and a crippled quality of
life.
One helpful strategy is called “The Process”. It simply involves ignoring the big picture,
and focussing on doing what’s in front of you, even the smallest of tasks, with
full effort. Just do one right action
after another and you’ll be too busy to even notice the obstacles were there!
Take some quality time to come up with your game plan, then get to work on it
one fully focussed step at a time.
Curve Ball? No worries, just begin The Process.
