I asked SS this week how she was doing with that shiny new piece of home exercise equipment she hunted down, bought, and parked in the middle of her living room to be a new coatrack. Her answer started with “I’m trying to…”.
I know that answer. I hear it all day. I even use it on myself. Lesson: what you’re trying to do doesn’t matter. What matters is what you’re actually doing.
Self-efficacy is your belief in your ability to control your motivation and behaviors. Your belief in your ability to Get Stuff Done. The best way to develop this? Mastery. And the size of the task is irrelevant. In reality “trying” really represents what’s not happening. That’s building the belief that as hard as you try…stuff doesn’t happen. Not what we’re going for here. If you want to get it done you’ve got to believe you can and the only way to do that is prove it to yourself. Build it.
** Note to those that believe the beatings should continue until moral improves (and you create the 30-60 minutes you’re telling yourself you need to succeed): get over yourself and start with 5 minutes. Succeed there. Then add on. You’ll be the rockstar you want to be in no time.
So, shrink it down, I told her. If you’re not getting that 30 minutes in, get 20. Or ten. Get something. Because in the context of movement and exercise, 10 minutes done consistently (daily) will bring more benefit than 30 minutes (or more) done sporadically. Waiting for or creating the big chunk of time – and also being in the mindset to make it happen at that moment – becomes less and less likely as time goes by. If you’ve ever tried to start exercising or re-start exercising then you know this. Take this concept and apply it anywhere: going to bed earlier, organizing your whatever, meditating, drinking more water, eating more veggies.
Shrink it down. Get it done. Create the belief. Become a rockstar. Just like that.
Because let’s be honest: once somebody tosses a jacket on that thing it’s all over. Love ya, SS 🙂