Here's what I NEED to learn:
- how to "beat the funk"--what to do to change my mood from lazy to productive; sad to happy; stressed to peaceful; or any other shift that could be useful.
I've noticed that I can get some amazing stuff done when in a productive "mood". But all too often, I'm just not IN that mood, and can't seem to motivate myself to get into it. Same thing w/ other moods: productive, funny, creative, etc. What can I do to "get into it" . . . whatever "it" is.
I'm looking for an effective system or process to get motivated to DO the things I don't feel like doing. Let me know your thoughts, please. I welcome ALL perspectives, so no matter how you came to read this today, please leave a comment.
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Choir Concert- Braceless
3 weeks ago
8 comments:
I remember someone making a comment about something just like this in church once, they said that they just tell themselves to get up and be an adult like they are supposed to be. And that's it. SO, now I tell myself the same thing. Just get up and do it. (Listening to some good pick me up music helps too!)
When you figures it out, let me know! You want to borrow my "happy light"?
I'm not very good at this either, but what does seem to help is happy music, like Andrea said, and I also try not to think about everything I need/want to do at once. Tackle one thing at a time, and go from there.
Read the book "Feeling Good" by David Burns. Good stuff.
Hey blaine- great to see you blogging. Funny we both ended up in Utah- hope you are doing well.- Erica Percy-Kinnersley
hey Blaine,
I've been thinking about this alot too.
Here's a couple of books that changed my perspective:
The Road Less Travelled by Scott Peck
Mars and Venus on a Diet-- yes, i cringed too-- but it has some interesting ideas about how the food we eat contributes to our emotional rollercoasters.
As others have said, I'm no expert, but I also find that if I'll acknowledge the emotion I'm feeling and identify the source of it, it's much easier to overcome it. "Why am I sad, angry, gloomy, depressed, etc.. today?... OH, that's why!" Then I can either allow myself to experience the emotion because it's a valid reason to feel the emotion, or pull up my bootstraps because it's something outside of my circle of influence to change.
Happy New year! :D
First, let me state that 'this momemnt in my life' is not the moment that I would choose to hold up and say;
"hey looky at me! I'm good at this! do it my way!"
But that said, know that there have been times, in my life when I have felt that I do that pretty well - and I hope that in the future there will be times again.
so, what is it that helps when I'm paying attention and actually putting forth the effort?
I'd say that the main thing is controlling my thoughts - anytime something not conducive to the attitude that want at any given time crosses the stage of my thoughts, once, recognized, I work hard to think of something else then think of something that IS conducive. (as learned from the primary filmstrip about keeping bad thoughts out of your head.)
I read a book onece when I was pretty young - I have forgotten most of it, but I remember it helped to form my strategy for attacking this problem.
It was called 'what to say when you talk to your self.' and it was very helpful. here is a link to what some people think about it:
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/1567310028
here is a summary one guy wrote on what he thought the most important concept of the book was:
-quote-
By D. Kanigan
The essence of this book can be captured in the following excerpts:
P 70
"We believe what we are programmed to believe. Our conditioning, from the day we are born, has created, reinforced, and nearly permanently cemented most of what we believe about ourselves and what we believe about most of what goes on around us. Whether the programming was right or wrong, true or false, the result of it is what we believe. It all starts with programming! What we have accepted from the outside world or fed to ourselves, has initiated a nature cause and effect chain reaction sequence which cannot fail to lead us to successful self-management, or to the unsuccessful mismanagement of ourselves, our resources and our futures. It is our programming that sets up our beliefs, and the chain reaction begins. In logical progression, what we believe determines our attitudes, affects our feelings, directs our behavior, and determines our success or failure:
1) Programming creates beliefs
2) Beliefs create attitudes
3) Attitudes create feelings
4) Feelings determine actions
5) Actions create results
P 72>
Self talk is a way to override our past negative programming by erasing or replacing it with conscious, positive new directions.
P 212
Just the simple act of telling yourself that you are going to have a "good day", as an example, not only helps convince you mentally, its sets off chemical/electrical triggers in your brain which affect your mental state which in turn affects you physiologically, which in turn affects how you think. It is a self generating cycle: thought, emotional response, physiological response, thought, emotional response and so on until something breaks or changes the cycle. That is why one negative incident first thing in the morning, can cause a chain reaction throughout the day. It affects our energy and our enthusiasm, our initiative and our spirit.
-end quote -
The 'self talk' thing was pretty big in the 80's and is kinda fun to 'poke fun' at but, that said, I have found that it really does help.
That combined with religiously focusing on goals at least a few times a week.
so, thanks Blaine for reminding me about these little things that I 'used' to do, but have fallen out of the habit of doing. I know they work and really should start implementing them in my life - I love life right now, that's true, but I have a feeling that with a little attitude adjustment, and some effort, there is so much more out there for me.
thanks for the inspiring blog entry sir!
Wade -out.
where's the posts?
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