How “Not Feeling It” Leads to Greatness: Guest Blog by Dan Thurmon

It’s easy to not pay attention to our health… until we get sick or someone we love gets ill. The most productive people I know focus on their health and someone I admire who is an expert in work-life balance is Dan Thurmon. He is also the author of a great book Off Balance, On Purpose:  I know you will enjoy his blog.

“I don’t feel like it.” “I’ll do it later.” “Once I’m in the mood.”

Fair enough. This excuse or, to put it more politely, explanation for inaction has become commonplace.  How after all can one embark upon a task, project, or activity without “feeling it?” Right?

 

And yet, this pattern of thought is one of the most critical distinctions between achievers and wanna-bees. Those who succeed are different from those who struggle in one simple but crucial capacity; they do not wait until they feel like doing what is critical.

• People who are in shape don’t wait to exercise until they feel like it. They strap on their walking shoes or drag their butts to the gym, especially if they feel sore or have low-energy.
• Prolific artists, writers, and creators don’t wait for inspiration. They start working, expecting inspiration to arrive.
• Entrepreneurs show up every day and do whatever is necessary to propel their businesses. They know success is up to them.

Here’s the great news. If you find yourself “opting out” of your best intentions and succumbing to your feelings, energy levels, and real-time distractions, you have an enormous Opportunity to improve your performance, results, and happiness. And it’s easier than you think.

Changing Your Default Settings

Just as you change your default ring tone, program your computer to a new wallpaper, or set your browser to a new home page, you can (and probably should) change the Default of how you process the thoughts and moods that sabotage your success.

Let’s take exercise for an example. Exercise enthusiasts know that the hardest part of any workout is getting started. Getting out of your chair and into motion – on your walk, run, bike, or to the gym – is the most important element of your exercise program. How long or how hard you exert yourself or what you do is secondary to the fact that you do something! If you never start, nothing happens.  And something is light years better than nothing.

Many people have the default setting, “I’ll exercise when I feel up to it.”

But here’s the problem with this default. Rarely do we feel an abundance of energy before exercise. Energy is the byproduct of exercise. We feel better, more energized when we are engaged in exercise and afterward. You can’t enjoy your cake until you bake it.

Change your default to: “I exercise when I want to feel better. When I need energy.”

Feeling crappy should be the impetus to exercise, not the excuse to avoid it. “Not feeling it” becomes the trigger that propels you toward doing what it takes to change that condition. Sure it may be tough to get started. But once you do, every minute you spend in motion will make you feel better, and you’ll leave feeling great, as well as grateful.

Another default is this one: “I’ll exercise when I have the time.”

This thought pattern essentially places exercise at the bottom of your list of priorities. You are effectively saying, “once everything else in my life is taken care of, I will then give myself this reward.” This strategy, of course, breaks down immediately when you put it in practice. What happens is that “everything else” fills up every moment, leaving you at the end of another day wondering how the time got away from you and renewing your intention to work out tomorrow, if you can somehow fit it in your chaotic life.

New default: “When I exercise, I am more productive and more capable of getting things done.”

This is absolutely true. After a workout you will have more energy, which we’ve established. You’ll be thinking more clearly, and you’ll have the feeling of accomplishment to help you carry that momentum into the rest of your day. There’s also a good chance you have been solving problems while you’ve been exercising, as the physical activity leads to brainstorms of creative thinking.  With that in mind, the best time to work out is when you’re facing a problem that demands careful consideration. Furthermore, when you feel the pressures of a full schedule you should be even more certain that you put yourself in the best state to succeed.

Other examples or areas where we may need to examine our default thinking and behavior include:

• Daily disciplines, such as reading, writing and work related efforts.
• Making incremental progress toward mid or long term goals. Improving the nature of relationships through better conversations.
• Affording yourself time and space to pursue creative undertakings.
• Getting rest, relaxation, and periods of meditation to improve mindfulness.

Into Action

1. Don’t just accept your default thoughts. Become attentive to what they are.
2. Ask if your default is helping or hindering your path toward improvement.
3. Realize that you don’t have to accept how you think or feel, you can actually choose a different response.
4. Consciously choose a new default. Try it once. Notice the results. Adjust. Repeat. Commit to a 30 day “test run” for this new mindset.
5. When you slip up or default to old habits, don’t beat yourself up. Just notice it and move on, recommitting to a new and improved default setting.

Default to choosing excellence and improvement first, and you will soon be Feeling the satisfaction of accomplishment.