No More "Powering Through": How to Overcome Your Obligations
Do you ever get fed-up halfway through an exciting project because you feel like you're forcing the work?
This isn't my first time writing positive mindset content on social media.
On January 1st 2019, just before going to bed that evening, I had the idea to create an inspirational post on Instagram. It received decent feedback, and I was immediately filled with a new sense of purpose. So I decided to commit to writing my own posts, along with reposting other successful people's photos and videos, every single day - for a whole year.
Oh boy, did I underestimated how tough this would be!
By the end of 2019, having committed to this plan, I ended up with 1076 Instagram posts. And I was exhausted. My overriding feeling wasn't one of achievement. It was mostly relief that I didn't have to post anything at all the next day.
"But Adam, nobody told you to do this. Why didn't you just stop?"
See, the problem I gave myself wasn't creating the posts: I held my passion of promoting positive messages throughout the whole of that year (and I still do - which is why you're here!). The actual problem was that I forced myself to commit to this obligation of a post a day. No ifs, no buts, no excuses.
I had to do it.
And while I was able to get over the line, the quality of some of these posts was just not up to scratch.
The nature of what I write about has the potential to be life-changing for someone reading it. Yet in the year of 2019, my selfish need to meet the daily deadline had taken over as the leading target for me to achieve.
I was too focused on the obligation, that I completely forgot about what mattered most: the opportunity to promote something good.
Obligations come in a variety of forms. Commitments to loved ones; job requirements; assessments - I could go on. They are commonly time-pressured, and are unavoidable: they must be fulfilled. They are things we feel like we have to do.
The pressure of obligations will likely inspire poor performance or no performance at all. The weight of the obligation will take over as the primary thought, rather than finding solutions to overcome them. This commonly leads to negative consequences, such as procrastination; stress and worry; even giving up entirely.
So how are obligations beatable? How can I be sure that obligation won't get in the way of me writing again this time around?
It's entirely a matter of perspective.
This time, I have stripped away all feelings of obligation. I am perceiving writing as the chance to inspire, motivate and empower you, the reader - rather than focusing on writing as much as possible just to say "I've done it".
This way, I can focus entirely on the opportunity I have!
The positive power of opportunity is phenomenal. By training your brain to respond positively to what's in front of you, you are able to give yourself the extra kick of motivation you need to carry you over the toughest obstacles. You will be much more consistent, and the quality of your performance will be much higher.
Even when it's tough, you know that the opportunity to achieve something is within your reach. When you make the opportunity greater than the obstacle, you'll never need to power through anything ever again.
It's time to get rid of the obligation mindset once and for all. Yes, we all have to do tasks we sometimes don't want to do in order to get closer to our bigger goals. If you can turn the tables and get the "obligation" on your side, purely by changing the way you perceive it, you can achieve anything you put your mind to!
What obligations are you currently facing? How can you gain a new perspective and focus on the opportunity you have instead?