Motivation: Do It One Day at a Time

[TerriDoodle 6]

I'm a big M.J. Ryan fan...she's an author, life coach, and professional motivator! I subscribe to her daily motivational emails and this was today's. I liked it and thought you might too.

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Our systems all want to adapt and grow, and want to stay the same. That's why, when we try to make too aggressive changes, our system tries to maintain the status quo by swinging in the opposite direction. This is one of the reasons, for instance, why strict diets don't work. Telling yourself never to let chocolate pass your lips brings on an instantaneous intense desire for ten pounds of chocolate as your system struggles to keep the comfort of the way it's always been. That's where "one day at a time" comes in. It's gentle enough not to kick in the "man the battle stations, something big is trying to force us into being different" part of ourselves. But it does move us into action. We're not just sitting around doing nothing. We're doing it—today. However, one day at a time is not an excuse to do it once and then forget it. It requires us signing on again the next day. And then the next.

-- M.J. Ryan

Professional Thinking Partners

www.mj-ryan.com