"How to Motivate Yourself to Do Great Things"
By Steve Backlund
In this blog, I am going to give you three steps to motivate yourself to do great things:
Overcome the lie that you are a constant victim of “non-normal” weeks
See procrastination as an enemy to be defeated
Develop a plan to do what you don’t feel like doing
There Are Few “Normal” Weeks
As a younger man, I regularly could not move forward in my dreams, invest in my key relationships, or maintain important habits because of unexpected happenings, disappointments, or emotional challenges. Almost every week, I was surprised by these things; and, thus, would not do what I had purposed to do because it was a “non-normal” week. These frequently occurring rough weeks caused me to have an excuse for setting aside my personal and relational development strategy.
I realized there are few “normal” weeks, and if I am going to significantly move forward in life, I will need to learn to thrive in non-normal weeks. It will be the same for you. Certainly there are seasons when there is an increased likelihood of less structure in our lives (e.g. parenting small children, needing to work two jobs, etc.), but even in those times, there is a way to rise above the belief of being a victim to a non-normal week.
Say this out loud: I am not a victim of the unexpected. I am a person who thrives in “non-normal” weeks. I do not need perfect circumstances in order to make progress.
Defeating the Giant of Procrastination
Procrastination means being slow or late about doing something that should be done. People who chronically procrastinate are more prone to depression because there is a constant awareness of unfulfilled responsibilities hanging over their heads. This depression causes more things to go undone, which causes more depression, and so on.
The enemies of our greatness manifesting are mindsets (belief systems) like pessimism, unworthiness, disappointment, insecurity, victimhood, etc. These responses are almost always a bigger problem than what is triggering them. We can add procrastination to this list. Our tendency to procrastinate is always a bigger problem than what we are procrastinating about.
Developing a Plan to Follow Through on Our Goals and Commitments
Both successful people and non-successful people usually do not feel like doing important things that are not urgent, but successful people find a way to do what they don't feel like doing.
I have written almost 20 books, have a full travel schedule, lead a ministry, have created many online courses, and have stayed connected to important people in my life. This has happened because I developed a plan to overcome procrastination. I am certainly not perfect in these areas, but I have grown much and I love to share what I have discovered.
I am working on a book called Igniting Radical Growth in 40 Days, and I am developing other ways for me to mentor more people in leadership and personal growth. In these resources, I will share in detail how I motivate myself to do great things, but I want to share one of them here. It is a procrastination buster.
Here is what I do:
I make a list of things that need to get done. This can be everything from exercising, making a phone call, encouraging someone, apologizing to someone, cleaning my car, or something else.
I determine when I want to have these done by.
I invite another person into my defeating procrastination journey, and I send them a text saying something like: “I have made a list of things I am planning to do by midnight on Saturday. If I do not complete this list, I will send you $15.”
I do this frequently (usually at least once a week), and it has been very helpful to me. I do at times send money to my procrastination-buster buddy, and I am fine with that. (Those who succeed most also seem to fail the most.) When we don’t reach our goals, we have a wonderful opportunity to evaluate the root reasons (e.g. unrealistic goals, procrastination, etc.).
Conclusion
Self-motivation is one of the greatest skills we can develop in life and influence. As we cooperate with the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we will find the energy and strategies to overcome procrastination and non-normal weeks to do great things that advance God’s kingdom, bring personal fulfillment, and leave a legacy behind us.