Chapter 21 Act

For a long time I've been curious about the difficulties that most of us have when it comes to taking action - the type of action that leads to a healthier and more fulfilling life. We vow to stop smoking, go to the gym or stop bingeing on junk food. We may get motivated for awhile and take action for a day or two, but it doesn't last. So how we maintain our motivation, not just for a couple of days, but for weeks, months or even years?

In a word: emotion. In fact, the word 'emotion' is derived from the Latin mover e - to move. And therein lies the key to staying motivated. You see, we often know what we want to achieve and the reason why. But this intellectual understanding is not enough to get us going, let alone keep us motivated with intellectual insight, we say something like: 'Yes, I know what I need to do in my head, but I don't really feel it in my heart'. What we're acknowledging here is our lack of emotional insight.

Take smoking , for example. Most smokers understand the dangers of smoking - they have intellectual insight - but they continue to smoke. But many women who have battled for years to give up smoking find that they become pregnant they manage to stop - at least for the entire course of their Pregnancy. And that's because of the deep compassion they have for their child, and concern for its welfare.

Emotion is a powerful motivator. When you feel passionate about your goals you'll always act on knowledge, advice and insights that will help you achieve them. Remember: keep your head and heart going in the right direction and you won't have to worry about your feet.

But if your dream, goal or passion is still not strong enough to get you going, then you may need to search a little deeper. You see, putting off an important activity is often a way to avoid an unpleasant emotional state.

For example, you may put things off because you fear failure. Or maybe you don't like being told what to do. Or perhaps you're afraid of success. Not because you don't value success, but because you're afraid of losing it once you attain it. You look at the top of the mountain and say: 'The view from the top may be great, but it'd be a nasty fall'. Often we're not avoiding a task; we're avoiding an undesirable feeling. But there is a solution.

Emotion is the driving force in your life but it's also the brakes.


The key to taking action: give it meaning. So if your life is full of clutter, for example, and you're hoplessly disorganized, you need to think about the benefits of blitzing the clear-out. Perhaps you'll feel more settled,liberated and able to focus on other areas of your life. Attached emotion and you'll be far more likely to act. The bottom line: emotion and you'll be far more likely to act. The bottom line: emotion is the driving force in your life but it's also the brakes. So you need to understand the emotions that drive you, and the ones that hold you back.