Active engagement
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Stop telling yourself what you need to get done. Instead, remind yourself of what you’re committed to doing.
When you frame anything as a need, that focuses you on the fact that you don’t have it, or haven’t done it. Instead, frame it as a result you’re actively creating.
You don’t need to weed the garden, develop a marketing plan, or get more exercise. You’re on your way to the gym or the toolshed or your desk.
Adopt the assumption that you’re already in the process of creating the result you seek. That directs your thinking away from what you lack and toward what you can do next.
Reinforce that assumption by taking actual physical steps in the direction of that result. Put on your workout shoes, or open a document and start typing, and quickly give yourself the experience of active engagement.
When it comes to telling yourself what you need to do, one single time is quite sufficient. Once that occurs, jump immediately into making it happen.
— Ralph Marston