How do we motivate ourselves to do the things we’re resistant to doing?  I imagine there are people out there who are happy all of the time to do what’s good for them, but for me and many of my clients motivation is a constant game.

Nowhere does this come out for me as much as it does when I run. I am not one of those people who is simply happy to be running.  After I overcome the resistance to lacing my shoes and finding my ipod, it takes a few miles for me to warm up and enjoy it.

This is why I think running really does make me a better person, because more than just being a way I use my body, it’s a way I learn to have more resilience, commitment, self-discipline and to reach down into my self and discover what I’m capable of.

Or maybe it’s a way to play head games with myself…

One of my favorite games is the game of 5 minutes, which when running translates into asking myself, can I continue to run for the duration of the song playing on my ipod?

Rather than looking at the goal of sooo many miles, I simply ask myself:  Can I run for the next few minutes?  I tell myself that after this song is done, if I don’t feel like running any more, I will give myself permission to stop.

Yet, to be honest, I know that the next song on my play list is one I like even better, and the next, and so on… until it’s finally Pearl Jam.  Who could quit running while Pearl Jam is playing?

This is not only a great running strategy, it’s a great tool for overcoming resistance and procrastination in general.  If you find that there are items on your to-do list that you don’t deal with, or if you are trying to exercise discipline in doing something every day, but find that you keep getting distracted by it, try this simple technique.

Do it for 5 minutes.  If at the end of 5 minutes you don’t feel like continuing, you don’t have to.  But most likely, after 5 minutes you’ll have caught the rhythm and will want to continue