If Only... I Had The Time...

 

Some time ago I came across the daily blog of musical creator Karl Hyde from Underworld. He’s been posting online every day for the last 20 years! It may be only a line and a picture per day but 20 years is a pretty amazing feat of dedication, discipline and habit.

Imagine posting creative content on the Internet 365 days a year for 20 years! *Mind blown!*

Discipline and habits are always on my mind. These two singular words run into the subjects of ‘what if’s’ and ‘time’ – mainly the lack of it. Recently, I’ve been thinking how I can learn from those who manage to make the time each day to do what they want to do. No excuses, no buts, just starting and biting at it every single day.

Because the truth is – we have the time. If only we carve it out of our busy days, even hide away, like we are having a secret liaison or affair, only just to spend an hour of time with that passion/business idea/project that we can’t seem to find the space for. 

I have imagined making up an elaborate lie in order to hide away and work on my passion. Hiding your secret passion to make it more alluring, more seductive, and the end result being – more likely to spend the required time to make dreams into a reality was suggested by international best seller: Elizabeth Gilbert’s – Big Magic. She suggested this hack: secretly working on your passion whenever you get a chance comparing it with sneaking out to meet a secret lover at a cafe during your lunch break!

You would think it would come naturally – the desire and dedication to do what it takes to get what we want, and yet, it’s rarely there. Comfort prevails.

After some time of just floundering and just weighing up what we want, with what we’ve got now (the comfy status-quo), often we find ourselves beginning to question if it is, indeed, actually what you want.

If it takes making up ‘secret liaisons’ with your passion to carve out he required time, or it has become a mental feat of epic proportions to pull yourself up from the couch in the evening to take the little baby steps to reach your goal – then wow, maybe it is not really worth doing …right?!

When, in fact,  you could be one step, one word, one click, or a phone call away from that dream becoming a reality.

Why does it seem to take superhuman strength to make these small steps? Is it really a lack of passion? Or does it come back down to dedication, discipline and habits?

Coaches are onto something. Pick the smallest step you need to do to reach your goal and make a commitment to do it in ‘X’ amount of time. Set Goals.  

The steps to reach our goals are within ourselves and we know what we need to do to make it happen so why don’t we, like the NIKE slogan, ‘Just do it’?

Mantras and affirmations only get you so far. Once you have landed on one – it still takes a habit to remind yourself to repeat it in your mind when you begin to mentally or physically waver. 

So between, the ‘smallest possible step’ approach, mantras, secret hideaway mind tricks to ignite passion to reach your goals to sharing your goals with people to keep you accountable, to the study where it advises not to share your goals with people, there seems to be so many ‘non useful’ and conflicting ways to motivate you to get what you want.

Just look at the countless motivational quotes, craftily designed GIFS posted on Instagram. Hashtags like #inspo #lifegoals #livelive #youcandoitifyouonlytry #believeinyourself – we are all craving for that piece of inspiration that will get us off our arses and into action!

Whatever that action is for you, we are looking everywhere get the #inspo to get started, keep going, or pick it back up again after a long break – as if we forgot ourselves for a while and realised ‘oh yes, I forgot, this is what I want in life’.

This is what I want for myself, my world. 

‘Liking’ these quotes, reading books and posting illusions of self motivation are all great in theory, but when do we, how do we, get into gear?

Move.

When do we say enough is enough with posting and ‘hashtaging’, reading and searching for the person or contact which will provide that ‘piece of advice’ that will make all the difference?

When did we (collective “I”) become so soft* (lack of a better word) that we feel the need to post all about #inspo and reaching for the stars when the energy it takes to select, crop, filter, hashtag we instead, could have been focused and taking steps each day? Don’t get me started on mindless scrolling – filling our minds with other peoples dreams.

In the end, these goals, passions become like a love hate relationship that we hate to miss, love to complain that we don’t have time for, and are a niggling thought in the back of our minds that we long for, pine after, and use excuses like time and circumstance to avoid the process, avoid the outcome – which we, deep down, yearn for.

Non sensical hey?! If you’re anything like me you get to a stage when we say enough is enough and then what? That seems to be the time when fear creeps in? 

Fear, in some form or another, is what is holding us all from being happy, from taking those small steps. From stepping away from posting about our ideal life and actually sitting on a chair, or getting out of your home to make it happen.

Day by day, action by action after 20 years – imagine what YOU also could achieve. 

So does paying someone, like a coach or motivator, help you reach your goals faster? In the end, you’re the one who has to the work in the end – push through your own limits and self boundaries to get what you want.

I’ve personally experienced how coaching can help verbalise those fears, guide you to a place where you can face tham and move on to a more productive state.

By remaining focused on your end game, remaining fearless and setting a plan you will be able to build the habits and discipline and to get what you want. Day by day, week by week, year by year.

If you haven’t given coaching a go, why not try? Contact me for a discovery call where you can experience it for yourself.

Action is the cure