Thursday, October 8, 2020

The Benefits of External Motivation



 I didn't eat breakfast until 9:30 this morning.  Usually I eat around 7:30 or 8, but not today.  A couple of days ago, I told myself that I couldn't eat breakfast before I did 5 minutes of stretching in the morning.  I also can't go to bed until I do 5 minutes of stretching at night.  I hate to stretch.  My muscles are so tight, and I gave up yoga a long time ago because it was so difficult for someone like me.  I envy those people who can stretch and they make it look so easy.  

Well, this morning I did the dishes, made hash browns for my husband, made a new recipe for lunch, found a new recipe to try for dinner, read for a few minutes and made bread because I was avoiding the fact that I needed to stretch.  I finally got so hungry that I did it just so I could eat.

Whether it is other people you have to account to, or not being able to do something until something else more important is done, external motivation can really make a difference.  If I am in the middle of a great book, I don't let myself read another chapter until I have something done that I need to.  Then I get to read my chapter.  It totally motivates me to get it done.  

If you are having a hard time getting something done that you really need to do, find a way to motivate yourself externally.  It can really help.

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