Problems vs. Solutions: feel like it

One of my clients is writing a novel and has a daily word count goal. After months of maintaining her writing streak, she’s been struggling lately.

Some mornings I feel bogged down before I even start. I know I can get to the end result and produce something, but sometimes I just don’t feel like making the effort to get there.

Hmm…the ole “don’t feel like it” excuse.

Well, here’s the thing: Whenever you’ve set out to accomplish a goal—lose 20 pounds, revamp your resume and update your portfolio, clean out the attic, put together a marketing plan—there will very likely be a point at which you don’t much feel like it.

But when does feeling like it get to dictate whether you accomplish your goal?

Last week I didn’t really feel like scheduling a meeting with my lawyer to talk about all things legalese for the new service I’m launching. But I did it anyway.

Because sometimes you have to swap feeling like it with the bigger Why of what you’re trying to achieve.

  • You want to lose 20 pounds to be active enough to play with your grandkids.
  • You want to revamp your resume and update your portfolio to find more meaningful work.
  • You want to clean out the attic because you’re tired of all the clutter nagging at the back of your mind.

I’m all for goals that feel good. I’m not a fan of goals where the entire journey of getting there is a slog.

But I also live in the real world, and know sometimes you have to do things you don’t particularly feel like doing because there’s a bigger Why at stake.

Has “I don’t feel like it” been getting in the way of achieving your goals? What’s the bigger Why at stake?