This morning I woke up as usual, drank some water, did my stretches then made my way downstairs into the kitchen. I made myself coffee and enjoyed listening to my podcast in peace. Halfway through my coffee I began to feel ill, something wasn’t right with my drink. Whatever it was, I could feel my stomach and throat itching to throw up. I made my way quickly to the toilet and it happened, I threw up all my coffee. I’m not sure what it was exactly but I suspect not all the vinegar used to descale the kettle was gone and I consumed some lovely lime scale.
Anyway, I felt better after though not quite normal, my morning routine had been thrown off, my coffee was no longer drinkable and usually by this point in the morning I’d be in the gym working out (already had woken up late).
So, I had a decision to make: go to the gym, or don’t go.
Just a little rest
Having the intention to do something beneficial for us is great, taking the action is actually quite easy, but usually only when we don’t hesitate. For example, do you find it difficult to get up in the morning when you think about what you need to do or when you just get straight out of bed?
It’s that little break in between wanting to take action and taking action that get us. That little rest causes us to be stuck at the start line and struggling to take a single step forward.
My morning adventure was that break and I was trying to reason with my sleepy, caffeine depreciated self as to why exercise is what I wanted. I could have just as easily, and arguably justifiably, gone straight back to bed. So how did I convince myself to do this?
Step by Step
I created a new simple small action and left little thinking time in between.
First my mind said, “I’ve just thrown up, I have no coffee, I’m tired, I’m already later than usual, I am aching, I have a lot of work to do so missing the gym won’t be the end of the world.”
I knew what I was doing and what I wanted my end goal to be.I consciously said to myself, “I’m awake, I’m functional, and I need to get rid of this taste first.” I concentrated on the quick positives and then what I needed to do immediately.
I had water, had orange juice, and ate a banana. Then I brushed my teeth, packed the remainder of my bag and left for the gym.
The water and juice helped with the taste in my mouth. The banana gave me the energy that coffee would normally create. Brushing my teeth, because I needed to!
At this point, I had brought myself back, although about an hour late, to my original routine and not even thought about using everything that had happened as an excuse. I’d also made myself more awake from the little actions I had taken.
Focus
Focusing on the now and what you can do to improve your situation a little can help you a lot.
Next time you’re thinking you need to do something important and procrastinating, just start with something small and simple. Then continue on with the next little small simple task. It might just get you back on track. Don’t think about all the things you need to do, just do what you can right now.
Let me know your thoughts on this.
What do you do to get yourself back on track when something derails you?
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