Have you ever found yourself wanting to get something done, yet struggling to actually do it?
For most of us, this happens all the time. Whether it is something you want to do for your business, your health or career, our best intentions can often be torpedoed by conflicting thoughts and feelings.
For example, I have had the intention of writing this article for about 3 weeks now. Even though I have had ample time, until today it has simply not happened. I would block out time on my calendar to write, but when the time came, I would ignore it or otherwise get distracted. So, I would look out a week, and block out more time to “finish the article!!!” and sure enough as the next date rolled around, I would lose my commitment.
If you have a few things in your life you truly want to accomplish, but are struggling to move ahead with, here is a simple technique to try.
This approach is most powerful when you do it with a partner, where someone can act as your coach and pick up on any signs of resistance. However, in a pinch you can try it out yourself as follows:
Step 1) Stand up (in front of a mirror if you can), and state your intention. “I want to complete my article today.”
Step 2) Scan your mind and body for any sign of resistance or conflict. In this example I might notice a conflicting thought that “I don’t know if the topics will be of interest to all my readers.”
Step 3) Give voice to, or otherwise express or act out, your conflicting thought. In this example I might repeat the conflicting thought , “I don’t know if the topics will be of interest to all my readers” in a weak, whiny voice (it is important to act out or exaggerate the silliness of the conflicts) for about 15 seconds or until you feel it has been fully expressed and effectively removed. (In my case I know it is impossible to write something that will be a hit with everyone. Yet to wait for perfection is to stay on the sidelines, and thus not be of use to anyone. )
Step 4) Now that you have cleared one conflict, speak your intention again and see if you can pick up any other conflicting feeling or thought. If anything comes up go through the steps again.
Keep doing this until you can state your intention with a solid voice and a strongly felt sense of commitment. Make sure to eliminate any feelings of resistance, and pay careful attention to notice any body language (like head nods, slouches, eye blinks, etc.) that show up in the mirror and might indicate other conflicts to explore.
Once you have your strong commitment, act as soon as possible. We have a limited reservoir of attention each day. Anything (morning paper, email, phone calls, etc,) you let come between you and your principal commitment, robs you of the energy you need to get the important thing done.
Try it. This approach will serve you well for many everyday commitments. However, if you run up against some really stubborn conflicts, seek some help. We are all highly resistant to the changes we would most benefit from making. And it is hard to spot and work through the big ones on our own.
