Give me a reason
- Michelle Wood: SWCD
- March 16, 2018
- 1511
Do you want to get outside more? Would you like to get in better shape? Does the house need a good cleaning or some repairs?
Although it would be great to be motivated to do all those things without prompting, sometimes what we really need is a definite reason.
I love to spend time outside. However, the cold, grey months of Ohio winters can really cause my hibernating instincts to kick in. But I’m pushed to spend at least one hour a day outside, and I feel the better for it.
The reason? I have sheep, chickens and ducks eagerly awaiting my arrival. Well, they probably really want the food I’m carrying, but I like to think they like to see me too.
My grandfather had a similar motivation in his later years. He owned and operated a feed store. Well into his 80s he looked forward to greeting customers beginning at 8 a.m.
Oh yes, what about that house stuff? It’s all too easy to look at it, think we need to do something about it and decide to tackle it later. So how about a deadline? Invite people over for an evening or a weekend. Suddenly those projects will take priority. You’ll probably see additional ones.
The push will make the place nicer for your guests and for your family once they leave.
Or plan a vacation for yourself. You’ll find yourself finishing up lots of chores, improvements, paperwork and the like because it all needs to be done before you leave.
In our case we need to make the farm easy for someone else to tend while we are away. Often the shortcuts we set up for them work better for us on our return.
Need to get in shape? Sign up for something that will motivate you to get ready. A number of years ago my husband and his sister agreed to participate in a 150 bike ride to raise money for charity. At the time neither had done that much distance. They spent considerable hours biking that summer to prepare.
Runners and walkers can find the same prompting by signing up for a race. Paying the fee and knowing others will ask how the race went may be all you need to stick to a training schedule.
If you need to drop a few pounds, you might try the exercise ideas, but you probably need to watch your diet as well. Buy a piece of clothing a size smaller than you wear now. When you feel like eating, go look at it instead. Or take a photo and put it on the refrigerator door.
Perhaps plan a special event or decide to attend one. A gentleman that I worked with years ago plunged into improving his diet and exercise in anticipation of walking his daughter down the aisle at her wedding.
Just don’t go back to your old ways after the event, or the pounds will come back too.
I hate to end on a negative, but sometimes that’s what it takes. Think about how things will get worse if you don’t get moving on something. Having recently completed my taxes, paperwork is fresh in my mind. If I diligently enter all the data into my accounting software each month, preparing the numbers is easy. If not, well, it’s not so much fun. So avoiding the resulting pain of putting something off until later often sets me to a task.
Whenever you find yourself procrastinating or not fully setting to a project, give yourself a reason to really plunge in to get it done. You’ll be glad you pushed the matter.