“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does the effects of bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily. “
Zig Ziglar
At this time of year the subject of motivation often crops up. Goals that you had at the start of the year, promises that you’d made to yourself and your desires for some kind of change often get waylaid during January. It is hardly surprising; for those of you in the northern hemisphere and especially the UK, there is less Light in the day, there’s much less blue sky and the weather is generally average at best. It is a challenging time of year to make change for many people.
When you are looking achieve change of some kind, it is important to acknowledge a few things:
• Talking about change is easy; actually changing is another thing. People are programmed for survival rather than changing.
• Humans operate in cycles; our biorhythms dictate that most people are not motivated one hundred percent of the time.
• Achieving a goal or making permanent change is mostly a process and not an event. It takes time and commitment.
• Everything looks better when it is “shiny and new”, rather than familiar and less interesting.
Most importantly of all, though, if you are not able to be consistently motivated then your subconscious mind and your conscious mind are likely to be in disagreement over whatever it is that you are trying to do.
Milton Erickson, the father of modern hypnosis said that everyone’s problems originate from a mind that is “out of rapport with itself”. i.e. you consciously want one thing and your subconscious mind wants another. What your subconscious usually wants is to stay the same which means survival and safety.
Fortunately, there are a few simple steps that you can use to check, and help maintain your motivation.
a) Make sure the goal/desire/change you have set for yourself is something you genuinely want, are genuinely prepared to commit to and genuinely makes you excited. For example, if you are trying to lose weight, are you willing to do exercise and change a few lifestyle patterns? Note the 3 genuines!!
b) Turn your goal achieving into some kind of game that you can have fun with. Even if it is as simple as crossing days off in a calendar if you are stopping some kind of behaviour, or put the money you are saving in a jar. If you are starting something new then congratulate yourself in some way with each day that you achieve. Be creative with the game; your subconscious understand and responds to symbolism and metaphors.
c) Remember change is a process. Life will get in the way of your goals and so there will be hiccups along the way. Being aware of that and perhaps even planning for them is key. Also remember that you have a choice whether these hiccups are temporary, or permanent ones. You can even imagine yourself running into a hiccup in advance and get a sense of yourself being able to work through whatever it is and keep the new you on track.
d) Avoid berating yourself. Having goals does not mean you need to be tough on yourself. If you fall from the trail for a moment, avoid seeing it as the end of the world. See it instead as a learning tool. Mistakes are just golden nuggets of wisdom….
e) Use hypnosis as a tool to bring your conscious and subconscious minds into alignment. It may well be that a simple relaxation mp3 will be enough combined with your own affirmations for your particular goal. Hypnosis and affirmations are a way of reprogramming your subconscious.
f) Use your mind in a positive way and focus on the positive aspects of your goal and in particular the emotion that you will experience when you achieve your goal. Again as an example, if you are trying to lose weight, then focus on the new healthier you, and the excitement/joy/whatever that will come with that.
Remember your goal is to bring your conscious and subconscious minds into alignment, and that means you need to remain aware of your desire for change and also to consistently reinforce the emotional desirability of the new you to your subconscious mind.
