Truly willing

You know that you want to live with positive purpose. You know that you want to achieve great things and find the fulfillment for which you long. And yet, when you wake up each morning, there are all sorts of mundane things already demanding your attention. Those things can quickly wear you down and break your spirit. You start off with the very best of intentions, and end up getting distracted again today by the same things that held you back yesterday.

So you wonder and ask yourself, where do I begin? How do I begin?

The answer is to begin here and now. You see, the thing is that you’re not really wondering where to begin. Rather, you’re thinking you can’t possibly get it done and, that being the case, there’s really no point in starting in the first place. So you’ve sabotaged your efforts before they’ve even begun.

When you’re agonizing over where to begin, it’s likely that what you’re really doing is resenting the fact that you cannot instantly jump to the end. You might be secretly wishing for a shortcut, a way to get the reward without doing much effort or waiting. You’re hoping that someone will come along with a quick and easy five-step plan, that doesn’t require you to learn anything or to put a lot of thought into it, doesn’t require you to make any sacrifices, doesn’t require you to get out of your comfort zone, and yet provides you with the life of your dreams.

Of course that’s not realistic, and of course you know it. You know that accomplishment requires commitment and effort. So your next question becomes this. How do I get myself to do what must be done?

Well, that’s very simple. You already know how to get yourself to do something. Give it a try right now. Look around the area in which you are sitting until you spot a small object, such as a pen or a cup, that you can pick up. Make the decision to pick it up. Now pick it up.

Were you able to do it? Are you holding the pen in your hand? Great! You can set it back down now.

Think for a moment about what you just did. You decided to take an action, and then you carried through with your decision and actually performed the action. Guess what? You got yourself to do something. It wasn’t complicated for you. You learned a long time ago how to control the muscles in your arms and hands so that you could pick up a small object and set it back down. Getting yourself to do anything is no more complicated than that.

When you find yourself thinking that you just don’t know how to get yourself to do something, you’re avoiding the real issue. What is that real issue? Maybe you want somebody to do it for you. Perhaps you’re wishing for a way to enjoy the reward without having to take the risk.

When you hear yourself telling yourself that you just don’t know how to get yourself to take action, think of the experience of picking up a pen from the surface of your desk. That is precisely how you get yourself to do it. When you’re truly willing, you can.