Need a Motivation Boost? Say Goodbye to the S-Word

I want you to pause for a moment and think of that thing you set out to do at the start of the year. Now it’s already April, and you still haven’t gotten around to it yet, and you keep putting off.

The idea or project is just sitting there, and the unfinishedness of it is weighing on you. But when it actually comes down to doing it, you seem to have lost all motivation.

So how do you recover motivation to do something you think you should do?

You can start by giving up this one word right now—and replacing it with something much more powerful!

Say goodbye to the S-word

Should.

That one word can zap your motivation faster than anything.

I’ve found that whenever I used the word “should” I would procrastinate and avoid the activity or project I thought I “should’ do. That’s because the word “should” in the dictionary indicates a meaning of obligation or duty.

Notice how often you might say something similar to these:

• I should go work out.
• I should eat healthier foods.
• I should lose 10 pounds.
• I should get out of debt.
• I should clean that closet.
• I should learn how to ____.

Why the word “should” can sabotage your success

Even if what you’re trying to do is a necessary or good idea (organize a closet, clean out the car, take a class, plant a garden), you’ll feel unmotivated.

If you’re trying to force it, you either just won’t make the time or have the energy, or you’ll probably keep putting it off because you don’t enjoy it. Or it might be a good thing to do, but maybe not for you to do. Or maybe not at this time.

Get clear on what you want first

Now, for every “should” statement you say, ask yourself, “Is this what I want?”

Or do you think you should do it because someone told you to or you feel under some obligation to do it? Sometimes our choices are influenced more about what others want than we want.

Although they might all be great choices, until we personally own them for ourselves we will not be motivated to follow through.

So, the first step to healthy motivation with your goals and to-do lists is to examine your “shoulds” and get clear on what it is YOU want.

You can also clarify what it is you want so it matches the outcome you want to create (i.e. I want to clean the closet so I can always find what I need.)

Once we claim a choice for ourselves, we then can declare them with “I am” statements.

Then replace “I should” with “I am”

• I am working out.
• I am eating healthy.
• I am losing 10 pounds.
• I am debt free.
• I am cleaning that closet.
• I am learning how to ____.

Take your choice even higher with gratitude

An even higher vibration of belief is to act as if you have already accomplished it and imagine your success with these statements of gratitude:

• I am grateful I choose to workout.
• I am grateful I eat healthy foods.
• I am grateful I lost 10 pounds.
• I am grateful I am debt free.
• I am grateful I cleaned the closet.
• I grateful I have learned how to ____.

This simple but powerful shift can make a world of difference!

Remember, when you declare your intentions you uplift your energy so it can support you with the motivation to do it when it is right and timely for you.

I encourage you to visit the Carol Tuttle Healing Center where I have a Should Scrambler to help you clear pressure and obligation. This session will help you release the beliefs and perceptions of what you think you “should” do. This neuro-linguistic reprogramming technique helps you step away from unhealthy pressures so you can make choices that are correct for you.

Which “should” obligation are you ready to let go of? How will this shift help you create what you want this year?

Bless you,