Do you ever start a project and then stop around the same time? It’s time to stop that cycle, right now.
Do you ever start a project and then stop around the same time? It’s time to stop that cycle, right now. Do you do things over and over again and expect different results? According to Einstein, this is a sign of insanity. It’s also a sign of how your brain works on habits.
You must have had times when you are ready to quit. You have a project, exercise program, habit, or anything of the sort, and you decide that you are just done, you’ve hit the wall, you can’t do it anymore and you want to quit.
You’re frustrated, you’re overwhelmed, and you’re procrastinating.
Please don’t quit.
I always say in order to expand yourself, in order to grow, you cannot do so without getting out of your comfort zone. When you’re in your comfort zone, you’re safe and you’re secure, but you’re also not making progress.
No progress gets made from the comfort of your comfort zone.
Your comfort zone is meant to keep you comfortable. It’s not meant to move you forward. So there is always going to be discomfort when you have to get out of your comfort zone.
That’s why they call it a comfort zone, and how you deal with this discomfort makes all the difference in the world.
You can struggle alone or you can find motivation. You can have a friend help you out. You can find a coach. You can do whatever you want. This isn’t about how to do it. It’s the one thing I want you to do.
And the one thing I want you to do is I don’t want you to stop.
The coach who talked about this is Anthony Trucks. He was an NFL player and apparently a very good one, very motivated, and then he had a life-changing injury. He couldn’t play football anymore so he eventually became a coach.
He said the one thing that you need to do in order to break this habit of stopping is to continue on for three more weeks.
The main reason to keep going
You need to do this to push beyond your normal threshold of stopping.
We are creatures of habit and some people have a long time before they give up and some have a very short one. Notice where your threshold of stopping is because you may also notice that it’s usually around the same time, every time.
Pushing through, despite the difficulties you feel, pushing through the uncomfortableness that you feel, pushing through the anxiety and the fears that you have. Keep pushing.
How do you keep going?
Start off small, just start with pushing through till tomorrow and then, once you hit tomorrow, push through to the next day.
And just imagine how empowering it will be when you look back and you didn’t give up.
You will feel so accomplished.
I know there will be projects that you’re working on that are just not going to be a good fit for you and it is something that you definitely going to have to let go of.
But doing this for three more weeks is a way to solidify your mind that you gave it your all and tried.
You went above and beyond all that you could.
Close the loop
We like to close unfinished loops. The best way to close a loop is to complete it.
When you can’t complete it, just knowing that you did all you could can also close that loop.
Three more weeks is your default now
When you make a decision continue on for three more weeks, make it short, make it sweet, and break that habit of starting and stopping things at the same time. This can be very powerful. It’s worked for me and it’s worked for others.
You got this!
Remember, you have a powerful mind and it can be changed to support the life you want to live. In the meantime, enjoy your day, one minute at a time.
Hugs, Cheryl
