Today: Save Up to 65% when you buy multiple Job Posting ads at Yahoo! HotJobs
Coupons | Product Reviews | Contests | Articles | Forums | Search | Subscribe
Family Fun | Parenting Tips | Romance | Health & Fitness | Organic Living | Weight Loss | WAHMs
Welcome Momscapers!
Momscape.com is an award winning online magazine delivering
uplifting personal essays
from real parents - plus
practical guidance on parenting,
family fun,
romance,
travel,
health & fitness,
weight loss,
and more.
We invite you to share your
MamaWisdom and to help us
spotlight
products that make your life as a mom easier or better while you
enjoy our money-saving
online coupons and
family travel
discounts.
We want to help you enjoy the
simple (and fine) things life has to offer.
Subscribe to Momscape >
or
Get Our Daily Coupon Updates by Email
Bookmark and share Momscape with your friends:
Today:
More Coupons >
Online Coupons
Today's
Favorite Coupons
All Online
Coupons by Store
All Online Coupons by
Category
Printable
Grocery Coupons
Product Reviews
Momscape's
Favorite Things (Blog)
Top-Rated
Mom Product Reviews
Family Fun
Activities & Crafts
Family Travel
Deals
Free Scrapbooking Ideas
Parenting Articles
Baby Tips
Toddler Tips
All Parenting Articles
Inspiration/Essays
Relationships
Marriage
Romance
Friendships
Health
and Fitness
Fitness Tips
Natural Living
Nurturing Your Spirit
Weight Loss
Professional
Family Manager Tips
Home-Based Business
Community
MamaWisdom Forums
About Momscape
Subscribe
Site Map
Links
Link to Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service
About us
Contact Us
How to Do Hard Things
by Suzanne Falter-Barns
One of the harsh little realities of pursuing a dream is that sooner or
later, you're going to have to do some stuff you don't like very much.
It's just plain inevitable. Enter procrastination. Dread. Meltdown.
Complete inertia. But the prospect of doing the tough stuff doesn't have
to stop you cold. To that end, I've been teasing out some different ways
you can keep going. Here are a few of my favorites:
· Play music. I learned this when I started running, or 'jogging' as we
called it back in the 70's. Clamping on the headphones made it go so
much better. Even today, as I pound the treadmill, it's just so much
easier if I've got country music videos playing along while I work out.
In fact, there's a remarkable moment in Michael Moore's new documentary,
Farenheit 911, in which a soldier talks about overcoming his fear and
going into battle by listening to heavy metal music piped into his
helmet. Neurosurgeons, emergency room docs, and others in high-pressure
operating theaters often play lightly upbeat, soothing music to keep
stress under control as they work.
· 'Bookend it'. This is a phrase the 12-steppers wisely use for calling
up a supportive friend before AND after a tough task … just so you're
accountable out there to someone. Use the phone or email and make that
connection. You'll be less likely to procrastinate your way out of it.
· Delegate. Got a task you just can't somehow do? I always have three or
four lurking around the edges of my desk, until the day I rise up and
give it away. Hire a local teenager, elderly person who wouldn't mind a
little light work, a family member, or even a local odd-jobs person to
come in one day and give you a hand with all or your 'hard stuff.' If
the problem seems to be on-going, hire a Virtual Assistant, from one of
the on-line sources like AssistU.com. This is a person you hire on an
hourly basis, usually in some other part of the country, who helps you
electronically with all kinds of administrative needs. If you can't
afford to find help, buddy up with a friend and offer to do each other's
'hard stuff' in an even swap.
· Plan a big, juicy reward. We're talking one you seriously want …and
the nastier the task, the bigger the reward. If you must, combine this
with book-ending, to make sure you not only do the task, but reward
yourself as well.
· Dare yourself to not do it. Really imagine life without this
particular task completed. Then see what the consequences are. Truly
dire? If not, maybe you can actually drop the hard thing from your to-do
list. On the other hand, will you be disappointed? Will things just not
seem right somehow? Better use that image of disappointment to move your
dream along.
· Jump in, first thing. We tend to be fresher, and less conflicted,
stressed or distracted first thing in the morning (post-coffee, of
course.) That's the best time to seriously seize the day and do the hard
thing. Success manuals all preach doing it first, and they're right. It
works.
· Envision the goal. Is it 1000 new subscribers to your ezine? Is it a
potential big sale that will change your business, or leaving a job that
will help you live your dream? Make a little note and park it somewhere
that's frequently in your line of site, such as a Post It on your
computer screen. (You can word it obscurely to protect your privacy in
an open office environment.) By keeping you attention on the big
picture, you'll naturally get less hung up on the day-to-day small
stuff.
· Impose a temporary goal. One of my dreaded tasks is vocalizing, or
exercising my vocal cords every day in an effort to keep my singing
voice in shape. Just about the only motivator I've found that works is
always having a small performance just ahead … especially in times when
I'm working on a long-term project that doesn't 'need' my voice anytime
soon. Knowing I have to perform, even at a dinner party, keeps me
interested in staying in shape. Same would apply if you want to work out
on a regular basis. Find a charity fun run or walkathon you can get
yourself in shape for.
That should give you some fodder for facing the harsh realities of life,
and getting on with those annoyingly procrastinated to-do's. Feng Shui
experts insist this 'mental clutter' keeps us small and inefficient;
once we actually go through the hard stuff, and clear out our anxiety
and procrastination, we thrive.
And guess what? They're absolutely right!
About the author:
Suzanne Falter-Barns is the author of several books about living your
dreams. Her free ezine,
The Joy Letter,
brings you a crisp, fresh burst of
inspiration for creative dreamers every week or two. Sign up at
http://www.howmuchjoy.com/joyletter.html and receive our valuable
report, 35 Guaranteed Time Savers.
©2004 Suzanne Falter-Barns.
www.howmuchjoy.com. Reprint permission available at
info@howmuchjoy.com
Subscribe to Momscape >
or
Get Our Daily Coupon Updates by Email
Earn your degree online
Use your time as a Stay-at-Home Mom to work toward a new career once the kids are in school full time. Learn more >
Take the free Masters Course: Wahm-It (
Get a free education in how a work at home mom can run an online business.
Office Depot Coupon - Save $30 off $150
Click through link above to activate this Office Depot coupon. (Tech items excluded)
Franklin Covey:
Save $10 on $79 or more
Use Code: 16818
Moms are Raving About
> Site Build It Review
> Cricket Kids Remote
> Garmin Street Pilot c320 GPS Navigator
> SpamArrest Spam Filtering Software
> Targus TA248UTornado Notebook Chill Pad
Digital Camera Buying Guide
Find the notebook computer that's right for you
Coupon Codes: BestBuy.com
Coupon Codes: DellHome
Coupon Codes: Office Depot
Coupon Codes: WalMart.com