Be Your Own Motivational Speaker

10/29/12

     I have a terrible time motivating myself. Even to do things that I want to do, aren't difficult to do or won't take a lot of time to do. The longer it takes me to complete a task, the harder it is for me to get done. Procrastination is ingrained in me, conditioned early on by those around me when I was a kid. These are the hardest habits to overcome because they often are embodied by the first loves of our lives. 

    Even if you're not a procrastinator, everyone has something that is a chore for them. Maybe some days it's going to work, or working out or getting to class. Maybe it's being nice to the person you think is moronic. Maybe it's holding down dog (adho mukha svanasana) or a warrior pose (virhavadrasana). I know a few who despise pigeon (eka pada rajakapotasana). Sometimes doing the healthy thing is a difficult decision to make. Doing something good for yourself, taking care of yourself, knowing what you need and taking action based on that knowledge isn't always easy for those used to caring for others first. Maybe resisting something you know you shouldn't do is a challenge often unmet.  

     The list could go on and on. It would be so much easier if there were someone energetic and enthusiastic who could follow us around all day and tell us how wonderful and capable we really are. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen (all the time) so you have to be your own motivational speaker. In order to effectively do so, you have to believe in yourself. Yes, I am fully aware that this is a cliche, but that doesn't make it any less true. Your inner monologue has to be not only positive but true. So examine the voice with which you speak to yourself. What does it sound like? How does it compare to the way you speak to others? How does it compare to the way you would find unacceptable to speak even to the person you find the most irritating? 

    If the answer to these questions is cruel and unacceptable for addressing another human, then there may be some room for improvement. You are an exceptional, capable human being. Everyday you are learning how to be even better. Find these truths about yourself . Settle into the point of view that you are excellent, backed by the facts of what you are capable of. Then you can look at those pieces of yourself you don't like without the nasty voice. You will be able to accept these aspects as another part of your glorious self. These less than desirable traits don't make you bad. They don't make you wrong. Nor are you wrong for hating them. You don't need to be fixed. 

    Remember, if there is something you don't like about yourself, 

    Everything changes.