How to find motivation and start taking action?

Is there something in your life that you want to do, or you know that you should do it, but you don’t? Maybe you can’t find the time or just procrastinating. Maybe, you have some fears or doubts. You can have some real reasons that stop you, or maybe, you just looking for some excuses. It doesn’t really matter. The main problem is: you want or need to do something, but you are not following through.

If you want to change it and finally make a decision. If you want to get more clarity, motivation and start taking action, then continue reading.

I am Lisa, and I am a transformational life coach. Today I want to share with you one of my favourite methods for gaining motivation and start taking action. I learned it from Tony Robbins Personal Power 2 Program, and I used it several times in my life. I still remember the first time I did it very well. Because it had a huge impact on me. It helped me to make an important decision. A decision to become a life coach. Later I used this method again, and it inspired me to do other new things in my life.

To do this exercise, you’ll need to write down answers to several questions. First, choose what your goal is. Something you want or should do, but you are not doing it for some reason. Or maybe you can’t decide whether it worth it or not.

To have results from the exercise, you need to write down everything, not just think about it. Otherwise, it may not work for you. You should be very specific, describing everything with many details, and especially keep focusing on your feelings and emotions.

1. What pleasure are you getting by not taking action towards your goal?

Free time for doing something else or for having some rest and just relaxing? Feeling more calm, comfortable, or safe by avoiding taking some risk? More freedom by not taking additional responsibilities or making some commitments? Or maybe the pleasure of eating something delicious instead of keeping the diet? Your answers will depend on the goal that you’ve chosen for this exercise.

2. What pain are you avoiding by not taking action?

Are you avoiding stress, risk of failure, or maybe a risk of feeling embarrassed? Maybe, you are avoiding doing something new because you don’t want to struggle with all the difficulties, which all beginners usually have. Maybe, you don’t want to have some uncomfortable conversation? Maybe, you are trying to protect yourself from possible disappointment?

3. What pleasure could you get if you follow through?

Here you can write down all the results that you’ll get by taking action. How will you feel about yourself? More confident? More proud? What will you learn? What will you change? What will be the impact on your life? You can think about all areas of your life: relationship, health, finances, friendship, career, success, self-development. Choose what is important for you. What new opportunities or new experiences will you get?

4. What pain will you avoid?

Sometimes it’s not enough to focus just on pleasure to gain motivation. That’s why it’s very helpful to look at what you will avoid by taking action. Maybe some regrets, disappointments, wasted time, or missed opportunities? Maybe, you can think about some specific problems or situations, that you’ll not have in your life if you decide to follow through. The more things you find, the better will be the result.

5. How will your life be in 1, 3, and 5 years if you don’t follow through?

Describe it in all the possible details. What will you do? How will you feel? What is the cost of not doing it? What regrets will you have? Try to connect with that future. Write down everything that comes to your mind. All your thoughts and all your emotions. How do you feel about yourself, about your life, about opportunities that you had?

Once you feel that you are really connected with the future, you can come back to your present and do the last part of the exercise.

6. How will your life be in 1, 3, and 5 years if you follow through?

Look at yourself in that future and write down everything you see. Again, describe your life in all possible details. How do you look like? What are you doing? Where are you living? How do you feel about yourself and your life? What did you gain by taking those actions? What are your results of following through? What are your thoughts and feelings?

Once you’ve finished, you should have a very clear idea about the price you are paying for not following through. You should also see what results you can achieve by overcoming some fears, uncertainty, difficulties, or discomfort. Anything that you are avoiding now.

Finally, the best thing to conclude this exercise is to take some small action towards this goal.