Today, let’s talk about motivation. We want to do something. We’re going to go out and do it. That’s what we tell ourselves. And then we don’t.
I’m going to give you a little test to give yourself so that you can determine whether you’re actually going to follow through or not.
In order to live an authentic life, we need to know who we are and what we want because what we want then determines what our goals are and what actions we’re going to take. So we’ve got our goal. Let’s say we’ve got something that we’re going to do tomorrow. We’re going to DO this.
Then we don’t do it.
What happens when we do that is that we begin to not trust ourselves. We become disappointed in ourselves. If we’re really based in conditional self love, we might feel a little bit of self-loathing when that happens. And that is not good for us at all.
So when we make a promise to ourselves that we really really want to follow through on, follow through or else don’t make them, Here’s a little test you can give yourself.
Now, I’m gonna use myself as an example. I really love cookies, like love, love, love cookies. So let’s say I tell myself, okay, tomorrow I am not going to eat any cookies. None. I’m not going to touch a cookie. That’s the promise I make to myself.
I give myself this little test because I want to know how likely it is that I’m going to follow through. It’s a one to five scale. If I’m a five, a five is that there is no way I am going to touch a cookie tomorrow. Like there’s no way. I could go anywhere. I could be walking through bakeries. I could have my favorite cookies all on one platter in front of me. I am not going to touch one of those. If you’ve ever had that kind of motivation, you can feel it, you know? You know you’re not going to do it. That’s where you want to be…a five.
Okay. Let’s say I’m a four. What does a four look like? There’s a high likelihood I will not eat a cookie tomorrow. And part of the way there’s going to be a high likelihood is I’m not going to leave my house. There’s no possible way I’m going to leave my house because if I do, there is danger that I might eat a cookie. I’m not even going to answer my door bell, okay? Because what if it’s my neighbor bringing over cookies and she wants to sit down and have cookies with me? She made them for me. I’m going to cave. I just know it. So I’m going to put boundaries and protections in place so that I don’t screw up. Make sure there are no cookies in the house.
A four is a really good motivation, right? That’s pretty good. You’re not quite at a five, but you know better enough that you’re going to build your world to make you a success.
What’s a three look like? A three is, I’m PROBABLY not going to eat a cookie. It’s very likely that I’m not going to eat a cookie. I’m going to go out into the world and if something happens… I mean we’ll see. If it was a really good cookie or a really special circumstance, maybe but probably not. I’m probably not going to have one. Level three motivation is dangerous, right? It’s dangerous. You want to get yourself to a four or a five on your promises because it’s just too easy for things to go wrong in a three.
Two. What’s a two? A two is I’m not going to have a cookie tomorrow. Like unless I have a really bad day or unless somebody makes cookies or unless my kids bring home cookies or unless a lot of things. I could be derailed pretty easy. Pretty easy.
What’s a one look like? A one is…and you’ve felt this before when you know even though you’re saying the words “I’m not going to have a cookie tomorrow,” you know you will. You know you will. You’re going to make sure you have a cookie tomorrow. You’re saying it, but you already know you’re not going to follow through.
If you’re going to be at a one or two, don’t make that promise to yourself. Don’t do it. If you’re at a three, how can you get yourself up to a four or five at least? Get yourself to a four where you’ve got protections in place, right? Don’t put yourself in dangerous situations. If you’re at a three, get yourself up to a four.
And that way, the kinds of things that you say to yourself that you don’t follow through on, they don’t energetically weigh on you. And the ones that you say you are going to do? You keep those promises.
So next time you say to yourself, either internally or externally, I’m going to do that or I’m not going to do that, stop right there and ask yourself…What level of motivation am I at right now on a scale of one to five? And if I’m not at a four or five, am I going to ditch the promise? Who am I kidding? Or Can I get myself to a four or five?
If you know somebody who could really benefit from this little tool to help those actions that we want so badly in our lives, that are gonna help us live an authentic life come true, please share this video with them and I will see you next time.
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