Because I listen to lots of podcasts, and read a fair bit too, I come across oodles of useful little ideas. About a year ago I started popping these in a Google Keep folder which I named Little Gems ( I loved these when I was a kid) and now if I’m feeling a bit unmotivated or lacklustre I flick through my Little Gems and there’s usually something in there that fires me back up.
I’ve now got quite a collection and thought I’d share some of them here.
Today’s Little Gem:
Who said it?
Former Navy Seal Jocko Willink on the Tim Ferriss Podcast
What does it mean?
Coming from a Navy Seal you could take this quite literally and assume it’s about being tough. But it’s not (do I look like someone who wants to get tougher?!). Instead it means, if there is a characteristic you’d like to develop, start making decisions to reflect that characteristic NOW. Or if you want to develop an attribute, behave as if you already have that attribute now
Some practical examples of this:
Let’s say the theme around your 100 Day Goal was to get fitter, if you’re practising “to be tougher, be tougher” you’ll take the stairs instead of the escalator TODAY
Or if you want to be the type of person who Gets Stuff Done, you’ll send that email NOW.
Or if you want to be a tidy person, you’ll make your bed THIS MORNING.
Why do I like it?
It’s about doing Little Things Now, which is SO much easier than doing Big Things Later (even if you’re a procrastinator!).
I also like it because it hums with Act As If (act as if you already are the person you want to be) which is a powerful way of tricking your subconscious brain into making you behave in the way you want to behave. For example, if you feel a bit down in the dumps but put a smile on your face, your subconscious will feel the smile, assume you are happy (because the subconscious is VERY literal), and consequently pump happy feelings around your body which, you’ve guessed it, make you actually feel happy! You tricked yourself!
Acting As If, and To Be Tougher, Be Tougher are easy ways to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Just use them for the right things. Yes?!
Do you sometimes feel a bit unmotivated? And like you’re forcing yourself to do stuff rather than wanting to do it? If so I’m putting a little book together with a long title “Everyday Motivation: practical, easy and fun techniques for instant-ish enthusiasm” which you’ll LOVE
Because the book will take a while to publish, I’m going to share the technique (Yes! There’s a technique for everyday motivation!) and the tips in an online (watch-when-you-want) class . It’ll be available by the end of April. Pop your name down here and I’ll remind you when it’s out. [I’m planning to price it at approx $19/£10].