When you are trying to get motivated to get something done then the best place to start is with something small that you can build on. A great part of motivation is the small step that you need to do to get forward momentum and once you have that you are unstoppable, but how to make that first step?
Just make that one first step
Well there are many ways to make that first step, Leo at Zen Habits says that you should just do the minimum possible, like 2 minutes of exercise. Another thing you can do is decide that you will drink 2 cups of water first thing in the morning, or eat a healthy breakfast of Oatmeal and a banana. You can decide to park in the furthest lot at work or get off a train one stop early.
The fact is you do not have to do all of these things just do one today and again tomorrow and then without saying anything to your resistant brain do one more of these things the next day, you now have two and the momentum is there. Three weeks from now you have turned you life around with a bunch of little changes that you would not even think are possible today.
This is the best way to start this one step at a time process. Do not even look at goals for this one just get ideas and write them down and then take the easiest one and do it today. Lets say you want to improve your health. You can probably come up with 50 things along the lines of stretch while watching TV tonight, or one of the above. If you want to spend less money you could think of a great dinner for tonight and make a little bit too much and have it for leftovers tomorrow, I love leftovers.
If you want to be more outgoing and are afraid then maybe just make it a task to go out and get a latte tonight and sit in the coffee place for 10 minutes before you leave with your coffee in hand, or sit in a crowded dog park bouncing a ball (the dogs will follow the ball and the owners will follow the dog).
The fact is that just getting out there and making small changes is the only way to any goal. If you wanted to lose 100 pounds or do the Hawaii Ironman Triathalon there is no way that you could just start hard core training, you would have to start with small steps and work up. The human mind resists change so if you trick it with these small changes you will be successful before you brain figures out that you are changing.
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