Something Very Unusual happened when I was hunkered into my little desert retreat.
I knew it was possible to piddle away the time, lollygagging in the sunshine, running around to favorite haunts. So I made a resolution to stay focused, unpacked my stack of books, and looked up hiking trails. Then it happened.
I woke up every day at 5am.
You must realize this is Not Renee. I love being a night owl and avoid Anything Morning. I even tried not waking up at 5am. I wasn’t stressed, so this wasn’t a cortisone response. Rather, a clear and simple response to my resolve. Get up, and Do It.
I went to bed earlier, set out hiking clothes and decided on the 6:30 am route, put a book by my pillow for a morning read, and went off streaming except a little PBS. My motivation to make good use of the retreat woke me up and pushed me out the door. Once I got it, I supported it.
What does it take to Get Motivated? Start by making a clear head decision and feeling a heart desire. You have to really want something to be truly motivated. Then dial in those little steps to make it happen. Want to exercise, get the right clothes. Take a big trip, make the reservations. Eat less junk, don’t bring it home. Watch less TV, cancel the streaming.
In Sanskrit this is Sankalpa, a resolve of the heart. Adding the little steps is giving it shakti, or energy. Sometimes I even think Sankalpa Shakti, like a call to action.
There’s more I’m waiting to understand about the heart piece~ having desire, feeling courage, taking action. I’d love to hear how you do this.