“A negative mind will never give you a positive life.”

BEEP BEEP BEEP

This summer my alarm went off at 5:00 A.M., and all I wanted to do was hit snooze!

I was so cozy in bed and stayed out an hour later than I planned the night before, but I knew I needed to get up for my training run for my upcoming marathon—however, I was seriously lacking motivation!

Many of us get stuck in the trap of thinking that motivation is something we need to have first to start or finish a task. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

I am sure you’ve been in situations where you wanted to accomplish something, but your body or mind said, “Nope, not today.” It’s almost like you are fighting yourself for the very thing you said you wanted to get done.

Here is the thing…

For so long scientific research associated the dopamine neurotransmitter with pleasure; however, new research confirms that it is also responsible for motivation.

Many of us wait until we feel inspired or motivated to start a new task or habit. We patiently wait for the dopamine to be released into our brain, hoping it gives us the motivation to work out or start writing that new book. And we all know it rarely comes.

Here’s why: motivation comes after starting a task, not before. So, if you desire to start writing reading more or working out 3 days a week, try focusing on the “2-minute rule.” The rule states, “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”

So how does this work?

When you want to develop a new habit, just focus on the first 2 minutes of the task, and once you do, the motivation starts to come!

If you want to read more, focus on opening the book and reading one page. If you desire to run before work, focus on lacing up your shoes and getting out the door. In both of these examples, you will find that once you get started, the motivation to complete the task comes.

The idea behind this strategy is just start; then, your brain will start working for you, giving you the motivation you longed for prior to starting the task.

And YES, after I got out of bed this summer at 5:00 A.M. and got dressed, the motivation to start my run was there!

You are stronger than you think…seriously, you are!

Remember, YOU GOT THIS!

XOXO

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