So using the Law of Attraction to achieve your goals can seem easy in principle, but what if you have trouble staying motivated to do the work it takes to achieve your goals? One of our lovely readers sent a question to me recently asking about motivation, so I thought I would share my answer to him as well as add a little bit more.
Re-orient Your Goal from Achieving the End Result to Enjoying the Process of Getting There
I read an interesting study recently which said that people who visualized on the end-goal of their desires tended to be less successful in achieving it. I thought this was pretty strange until I read further that people tended to have more successful outcomes when they visualized the process it takes to achieve that goal instead.
It reminded me a lot of the quote, "it's about the journey, not the destination", and there is something to it!
If you are envisioning the end-goal of a task you want to complete, but when you visualize the process of getting there you find yourself grimacing, then you need to re-orient your goal to focus on creating a process that is enjoyable to do. For instance, if you want to get fit, but absolutely despise running, then find another athletic activity to do! Willpower only works for so long - find a processes that you enjoy doing and you won't have to struggle your way through it .
Has Your Goal Itself Changed?
That being said, if you try to focus on finding an enjoyable route to achieve your goal but simply can't, then take a look again at your goal. Do you want to continue doing this thing you started up, or do you want permission to stop doing it or change focus?
Our wants will change over time, so if you find that you were initially fired up about this goal but find yourself now less aligned with it or disinterested, it's okay to stop (for example, I used to want to be an archaeologist but then discovered that I enjoyed reading about history much more than studying it as a career). If you do want to persist in your goal, ask yourself a couple of things:
Is It a Time Block or an Emotional Block?
Go into the energy of why this goal or task feels difficult to accomplish. Is it about trying to find the time to do it? Does it feel emotionally difficult to motivate yourself? Getting really clear on why you're feeling stuck can help you figure out if it's a matter of rearranging priorities or if it is an emotional belief that is blocking you from getting what you want done.
For example, if it's a time block, maybe you need to give yourself permission to take an hour on Saturdays to work on your task.
If it's an emotional block, let yourself sit with the idea of being in total flow of working towards your goal, and specifically that it is easy and that you are having so much fun with it. When a negative thought comes up, that is an indicator of what your limiting belief is. Try pivoting that belief by working yourself up the emotional guidance scale.
"Hard" Work Is a Limiting Belief
Are you working in your personal flow? We have a pervasive cultural belief that hard work is the only way to do good work, and sometimes this belief can show up as trying to make yourself work outside of when you feel motivated so you can "prove" to yourself that you are working hard. Try sitting with the idea that you will be inspired to work on this task, and that you WILL be inspired to work, and see what comes up.
...
Did you enjoy this article on staying motivated? Would you like some further help in working through your limiting beliefs about motivation and goal-achievement? Sign up for a 1:1 private coaching session with me to declutter those limiting beliefs for good so you can achieve the goals you desire.
