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Using Momentum to Motivate Yourself

Using Momentum to Motivate Yourself

I have trouble getting started. I have trouble getting out of bed. I have trouble motivating myself to work out. I have an army’s worth of resistance to doing almost anything. I have always been like this, and I do not know why.

A few years ago I was at the annual Christmas eve party of a friend and was having a wonderful time with all their wonderful guests. It is truly my favourite gathering of the year and there is this one woman there every year that I get into these heavy life discussions with. Without fail. We are close in age but the dynamic between us is more of a niece and super cool aunt giving big and much needed life advice.

So she asks me, this one year,”Well, what do you want out of your life right now? Like really want? Now.”

I wasn’t sure how to answer, but thanks to a few glasses of wine the words rolled off my tongue, “Um..well..I want to get the things that I think about doing, going…get them out of my head and into the world, get my ideas on paper, my projects going and also, start working out, but I can’t get myself to do these any of these things.”

She thought about it for a moment or two and then said,

“Momentum.”

“Okay, yup, momentum,” I responded,”I suppose I get what you’re saying….?,”

“That is your word of the year….. Momentum…. Think of one sit-up. What do you think of one sit up? Could you do one sit up a day?,” she asked me.

“Yes,” I half laughed, half scoffed,”I think I can manage ONE sit up a day.”

“Good,” she said, “Do one sit up a day and see if you can do that.”

“Okay, now I am a bit lost,” I said,” I know I can do one sit up a day, so how is that going to help me get going?”

“Well, my dear, firstly, you won’t do one sit up a day, I guarantee it, and secondly, think of it as a literal metaphor for your life.”

“GOOD LORD, I am so confused,” I was feeling a little frustrated,”I just said I could totally do one sit up a day, and now you’re saying I won’t…and it’s a metaphor…and a guarantee???”

She laughed, “Yes, I guarantee you won’t do one sit up. Once you have lain yourself on the floor and propelled and inspired yourself to do that ONE sit up, I guarantee you’ll do more. Maybe not 500, but probably 10, and if you do 10 you’ll most likely do 50, but you won’t do any, unless you do that one. MOMENTUM, darling. Get started with a keepable commitment and see what happens.”

Of course she was right. I went from not working out at all, except walking my dogs, to running or going to the gym 4 times a week, and, yes doing about 50 sit ups when I promise myself to only do one.

What I would love you to examine is, in a way, tricking yourself into getting more out of your life by promising yourself you’ll do the minimum. It sounds silly, but it really works and we all have little or big areas of out lives that we need to get started on.

Momentum, people. Momentum.

I am a pretty smart lady, I went to some pretty great schools, and I also have some traits that are detrimental to my own progress. The life “force” within me is not easy to harness, but I can make little promises. Tiny little promises, to do one sit up, or write the first sentence to a blog, or read one page of that book I have been wanting to read. Mostly you will not be able to do just one, you will find yourself doing much more.

I don’t always succeed. Sometimes I just write only the title of a blog, yeah, just the title, and I save the document with just a title on it. Sometimes I meditate for only 3 minutes. Sometimes I do just one sit up, and on those days I laugh and remember our conversation and see how much I have accomplished in my life in the past few years because of her guarantee that I wouldn’t do ONE sit-up.

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RONDA ENGELHARDT

Ronda is a Peak Performance Coach focusing on Life Coaching and the Mental Wellbeing of Athletes in her practice. She is also contracted through a large Division 1 University program to work with their athletes as a mental coach. She specializes in fear, pressure, adversity, uncertainty, removing obstacles, anxiety, doubt, recovering from injuries or setbacks, and identity beyond a sport or a role. She provides a proactive approach to the mental health of athletes and teams on wellbeing and the mental side of the game. Ronda is also an accomplished athlete herself and spent five seasons as a head coach for a Professional Women’s Hockey team in the Premier Hockey Federation, and is a scout for the Nashville Predators of the NHL.

Ronda’s education includes undergraduate studies in Psychology, a Masters in School Counseling and post graduate certifications in Applied Positive Psychology, The R.E.W.I.R.E. Mindset Systemᵀᴹ, and is certified as an Applied Positive Psychology coach, specializing in Leadership, Mentoring and Coaching, Teamwork and Collaboration. While Ronda has specialized in the athletic mindset, she is passionate about helping any person wanting to uncover what is possible and learn to use their mind as an asset for reaching their full potential.

SYLVIA HALLIGAN

Sylvia Halligan is a mind-body mental agility and change management coach. She helps organizations successfully lead and navigate change, make it stick, and empower individuals to transform into flourishing, thriving beings. Her personal coaching practice incorporates a blend of eastern philosophy practices backed by western science. Interventions include guided visualization, hypnosis, breath work, embodiment, energy psychology, positive psychology, and neuroscience.

Sylvia is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT), holds certifications in Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) and Applied Positive Psychology Coaching (CAPP), and is an ICF credentialed Associate Certified Coach (ACC). She is also a Prosci-Certified Change Management Practitioner and certified in The R.E.W.I.R.E. Mindset Systemᵀᴹ. Specialties: Leading organizations through change and making it stick. Guiding individual change journeys through holistic mind-body coaching. Teaching people to thrive, not just survive.

ANJALI IYENGAR

Anjali is a Holistic Health & Positive Psychology Pracitioner. As a naturally intuitive, compassionate, and deeply empathetic coach, Anjali creates an environment for her clients that allows them to truly understand the connection of how the mind and body coexist and relate to one another. Assisting clients in understanding the mind & body connection, how blocked emotions can reappear in emotional patterning or physical alignments in the body, and aids in healing through the use of various techniques, including The R.E.W.I.R.E. Mindset Systemᵀᴹ.

Anjali holds degrees in Communications and an MBA, along with post graduate degrees and certifications in Applied Positive Psychology, Integrative Holistic Health Coaching and Breathwork.ᵀᴹ

MARJOLEIN VAN DER KRUK

Marjolein is a trainer, facilitator and coach, specializing in Emotional Intelligence and Leadership. In her individual coaching practice, Marjolein works with people to educate and empower them with the tools from Positive Psychology, Self Compassion and Emotional Intelligence. Her work with corporations includes embedding innovative, human-centric mindset coaching, training and facilitation. She’s a Senior Leadership Facilitator for THNK, The School of Creative Leadership in Amsterdam, Netherlands where she develops global leaders in international corporations to unlock their full potential in leading themselves, and others, for greater impact.

Marjolein holds certifications in Emotional Intelligence and Leadership, Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) and is an Applied Positive Psychology coach. She is also trained in Self Compassion, through the thought leader in this space, Kristen Neff, and is certified in The R.E.W.I.R.E. Mindset Systemᵀᴹ. Marjolein holds a Masters degree in Biomedical Sciences and Post Graduate degrees in Management and Positive Psychology.