From Unfu*k Yourself — Gary John Bishop

Unwillingness

Unwillingness can be as powerful a motivator as willingness. For example, one person might be motivated by saying, “I am willing to go for a run right now,” while another person might be motivated by saying, “I can’t sit on this couch another minute!” We can find which works for us in certain situations.

Try making statements of willingness or unwillingness with conviction for a couple of weeks to see how things shift in behaviors and patterns.

Wired to Win

We are wired to win no matter what. Even if we consciously think we’re losing — not making money, no love life, etc. — we are just being the best at the game we can be. Subconsciously we may be thinking our parents did such a lousy job raising us and I’m going to show just how poorly they did by spending frivolously, breaking hearts, getting into relationships with people who I know will hurt me, etc.

If we’re going to win anyway we might as well practice winning in conscious direction instead of the old patterns.

We are what we do, not what we think

What we think and what we do don’t have to align. We can be thinking the worst of ourselves and still follow through on a project or exercise. Doing what we need to do despite what our thoughts are saying helps build resilience. Eventually our thoughts will turn to start helping us more. Get into the habit of doing what we know will help us achieve our goals, and paralyzing ourselves by thinking too much.

Strike Right Now

We don’t have to be in the right mood to make today our day. This one goes along with the previous concept. What if we do what needs to be done right now rather than waiting for the heavens to open and a light to shown on the ground in front of us.

Have More Passion for the Future

My defensiveness and offense to old patterns shows that I have more passion for the past than I do for the future. To move on, it’s best to accept what was and what is. Cool, leave it there. Move forward.