I’ve never met a lazy person.  Now, I have met a lot people who insist that they are completely lazy; but from my perspective, they are simply unmotivated.  Motivation is something that I think about a lot in my life, not only in my work as a coach, but also as a person trying to get things done in my own life.

I’ve realized that large-scale motivation is important, having a purpose and big, exciting goals.  What I’ve found is more relevant to our day-to-day living, though, is how to be motivated right now – in this present moment.  Most of the time, it’s not a matter of finding something to motivate us for the rest of our life.  The question really is, “How do I get myself up off of this couch and do something that will help me accomplish something?”

The challenge comes because we expect our “big picture” purposes and goals to motivate us in the present moment.   Because the long-term is (by it’s very nature) removed from the current moment, though, there is often a disconnect between the big picture and our present moment. 

Here’s a tool you can use to get things done in the “right now”:

THE HOUR OF POWER!

I’ve seen the concept used for everything from making sales phone calls to exercising, which is why I think it is a really powerful idea.  It stems from the idea that we can do anything for a short, finite time period. 

Those big picture goals are great, but they are often so distant as to seem impossible, so we don’t even try them.  The next hour is immediate; it’s much easier to wrap our minds around.  For example, if you have been thinking of changing careers, but you keep putting it off, spend an hour doing research online.  If there is a home project you have been avoiding, do one hour of prep work.  Even if it’s only 30 minutes, that’s a start.  Have a specified amount of time (keep it short) that you are going to work, and keep going until it’s over.   If you need to, set a timer and work until it goes off.

We also tend to avoid starting things because we are fearful of the long term ramifications, i.e. “I don’t want to start exercising because then I’ll have to do it for the rest of my life.  And that’s a really long time.”  By focusing on the hour of power you don’t have to think about the long-term, all you have to look at is the current hour.

When you work on larger aspirations in short, one-hour chunks, it’s much more doable.  And as you work on these projects, whether it’s cleaning the house or starting a new business, you’ll find yourself gathering momentum.  There’s an old proverb that says something along the lines of:

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”

Go spend an hour on something, even spend 15 minutes, but take that first step.  Don’t worry about results or what you’ll do after the hour, just starting moving.  Take the first step…now!