I did not feel like writing anything today, but I have a little technique that gives me the mental dexterity to light a fire under my own ass.
I call it mindful, not to be mistaken for mindfulness, which is a meditation technique.
Beingmindful is a hack to kick start your will power, or whatever you wish to call your self-motivation. I would rather use the term self-discipline because when you think about it, “will power” is often as tough as power lifting.
Say my goal for the day is to eat healthy. The night before I will write on a piece of paper: “Today I will eat lean healthy meat, five to six helpings of fruits and vegetables and keep my calorie intake below 2000.”
Post this note on the wall some place—your bathroom mirror, for example—where you will see your daily goal soon in the morning. Say your intentions out loud if you must, repeat it the magic number of three.
Always write your goals out in positive language. “I will eat 5 to 6 helpings of veggies.” Refrain from writing any intentions in the negative. Psychology studies have determined the human brain is incapable of distinguishing the words “no” and “not” within sentence constructions. For instance, writing or saying or thinking: “I will not eat processed foods todays” turns out to really be the opposite.
Don’t believe me, try telling yourself not to stare at that beautiful women or handsome guy walking your way down the street. Yep, impossible.
Always write your goals in the most specific language possible. Simply writing or saying “I am going to work out hard today” is a vaguely defined goal. Better is “I am going to sweat my ass off so much I am going to need an ass transplant.” Best is “I will do 5 sets of pushups to failure, 100 sit-ups as fast as I can.” It’s up to you to fill in the etceteras.
Are you forgetful?. I have a hack I have hacked from some long-forgotten source. I was always misplacing my wallet, my keys and forgetting to remember whether I had taken my high blood pressure medicine. Sound familiar?
I have learned to talk to myself in the present tense as I do one of these minor routines. For instance, when I am taking my medicine I say “I am taking my blood pressure medicine for today.” Placing my keys in the junk drawer (a contentious topic for my Little Pop Tart) I say “I am putting my car keys in the junk drawer” or “On the coffee table.”
A little self-talk and a couple handwritten notes addressed to yourself can help you greatly to achieve your goals while saving time. Who really wants to get the majority of their exercise in a one-man manhunt combing your house for your keys or wallet?
