31 Days 2 Get You Started! January 10: You Can do Anything for 15 Minutes.
Just because I’m a Yenta, and/or a coach, does not mean I don’t constantly frequently have the nag the hell out of myself to do all the many things that while necessary are perhaps not super fun. I nag myself all the time. The drill sergeant in my head is helpful, if a royal pain in the ass. The clients get a much kinder, calmer and more encouraging version of the invective that I spit at myself to do all the stuff I dread.
And sometimes, when nagging isn’t enough, when I’m sick of the sound of my own fearsome whining, I simply set my stopwatch for 15 minutes, and get to work. Usually, once I’m started, 15 minutes flies by, and I’m surprised by the sound of the alarm. That’s usually what happens, but there are certain chores that after each other forced interval, I have to go lie down and look at photos of kittens playing on the Interwebs, and remind myself that I chose this life of suffering and misery, and I need a cookie. Usually, right around now, the sound of my whining is so odious, even to me, that I man up.
My point being, sports fans, is that there’s no chore you have to do to achieve your goals that you can’t do for 15 minutes. Set your alarm or egg-timer for 15 minutes, grit your teeth, get through it, and go have some ice-cream. (Don’t think that there haven’t been days when I’m eating ice cream at 8am, out of sheer desperation. Sigh.)
Just remember: even when you’re doing what you love, not every minute is going to be glorious, or even interesting. If you think that doing what you love means 24/7 JOY…meh, not so much. There’s exciting stuff, amazing stuff, boring sh*t, tedious crap and tremendous fear. Not necessarily in that order.
So yes, you’ll have to count corners and employ all manner of tricks to allow yourself to do whatever you have to do to succeed. You’re trying to change your life; you have to re-condition yourself to be bigger than your fears; to be bigger than the nameless dread in the pit of your stomach; you have to re-learn how competent, smart and amazing you can be. You’re not going to learn all and do all at once. It will take time. It is a process. A process you can start in 15 minute increments. Now, get to work.