Lets Do This!

by Andy Ramage

How to use motivational psychology to change your habits for life.

I loved this book! This year, I have found ways to create some time to make a good start on some long-standing goals, which has been really exciting and rewarding. The progress comes after the plan, and this was a very well-timed read. I first heard Andy Ramage interviewed on a podcast a few years ago, and he mentioned then that he was busy with this book. He came up again in a recent podcast, and with his book complete and available, I thought I’d give it a go. I’m glad I did! Andy includes his own personal story within the pages, and that alone is a powerful motivator.

Key take outs for me:

·      Motivation is a skill that can be learnt.

·      Despite our initial best intentions, it’s incredibly hard to stay on track with our goals – we ditch them for instant gratification.

·      Right now, we already have all the motivation we’ll ever need – it’s just misdirected.

·      If you change nothing, then nothing changes! Initial change can be a great catalyst for future goal attainment.

·      Willpower runs out. It fatigues through use; and tasks that rely on willpower get harder as the day progresses.

·      Motivation is less about the goal, and more about creating and owning a plan of action to reach it.

The Preparation

A study run by Walter Mischel on delayed gratification in 1970 gave a group of children two options. They could have one small immediate reward (one marshmallow) or two small rewards (two marshmallows) if they waited a period of time. In follow up studies years later, it was found that those children who were able to delay gratification, tended to have better life outcomes (more confident, trusted their own judgement, more able to motivate themselves, healthier BMI, less prone to addition, more “successful”). Andy worries about those of us, himself included, with “wobbly willpower”, for whom delaying gratification does not come naturally. When we wobble, we have a good chance of failing, and then giving up. Many of us, by degrees, find ourselves getting to a place where we are dissatisfied and demotivated. We start on goals but struggle to follow through.

If we’re able to transform the way that we think, then we can change the way that we go about achieving our goals.  Einsteins definition of a kind of madness was right:  doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.

We have two brains:

·      A Primitive brain which wants immediate rewards – evolutionary, survival, emotion-based, gut feels.

·      A Rational brain which is more self-fulfillment focused – goal oriented, analytical, balanced thinking.

The primitive brain only cares about NOW. The trick is to learn the skills to recognize when your primitive brain is at work, in order to allow your rational brain to advance you. Identify new (constructive, healthy) rewards that help to satisfy the primitive brain in the moment. This takes work, and its important to recognize that the motivation you need to start, is different from the motivation you need to keep going.

So, identify your goal.

·      You want your goal to become a part of who you are.

·      Pushing your goal deep into your subconscious allows it to become a part of your core values.

·      Goal setting is about allowing yourself to dream big! Realism can sometimes hold you back.

·      Questions that help: If money were not an issue, what would you do with your time? If you had million dollars to do good with, what would you do? How could you use your skills to make other people’s lives (and your own) better? Is this a goal you would love to start today? Will achieving this goal make it easier to achieve others?

Don’t start with too many goals at once – you risk the chance of becoming overwhelmed.

·      Avoid the lure of multi-tasking – focus well on one solid goal at a time.

·      1 goal at a time for 28 days = 12 goals a year!

The 6 Streams of Positivity – these are fundamental to keeping you positive, and motivated. Each time you improve one of these streams, you increase your motivation and energy. They all work in harmony, together. 

1.     Sleep – the most underrated performance enhancer. Poor sleep is the enemy of motivation, energy and mood.

2.     Movement – motion creates emotion, which fires up motivation.

3.     Nutrition – Care about what you put in your mouth. Quality nutrition = quality motivation. Eat in a way that fills you with health and fuels your energy.

4.     Connection – Relationships are a skill to work on, and  the world is brighter with friends in it.

5.     Quiet Time – Allow your mind time to rest, and recover. Mindfulness increases motivation.

6.     Clear Thinking – Take a break from alcohol, and reap the rewards of a clearer brain, enhanced energy and more motivation.

The Plan:

·      Create a habitual process that will help you to achieve your goal.

·      Focus on those habits, every day.

·      Push your goal deep into the core of your identity by repeating these habits over and over, and making them part of your subconscious.

·      To change a negative habit to a positive one: The old cue remains (i.e. being tired or stressed) and so does the old reward (i.e. a feeling of relaxation) but the routine changes (i.e. replace a glass of wine with a smoothie, or a walk, or a book in a comfy spot with a cup of tea/coffee).

·      Swapping habit routines really works, as long as you value and enjoy the routine that you replace the old one with.

·      Pursuing goals/habit/routines because you enjoy them is a powerful motivator.

·      Create a plan that you own, that will outline the steps that you need to take. When you master the plan, you will achieve your goal.

·      If you don’t construct a specific plan, your primitive brain will decide for you, and demand instant rather than long term gratification.

·      Set up daily rituals, so that you just need to show up, and not think – just do!

There are three key steps to implementing the plan:

1.     Each morning, write down your goal again in your journal. Then, right down the question: What can I do today to improve my plan/progress?

2.     Execute your identified task for that day.

3.     Each evening: Check in – did I do what I needed to do today to reach my goal?

It’s a lot of daily effort, and it’s okay to feel a bit intimidated. Keep coming back to the plan, and keep showing up – if this goal is really what you want, your daily plan will make it happen. Pay continuous and special attention to the 6 streams of positivity – they will keep you strong, and focused.

Then, there is a day-by-day plan for 28 days, full of concrete steps and ideas, tasks and motivation. I’m halfway through the plan at present, and covering significant daily ground on my goal. This plan is powerful, and well worth the effort. In future, I will use the same formula for my other big goals, and I feel grateful to have discovered this book. Be open to growth, give it a go… and embrace your potential!