The simple way to do the things you’re avoiding
The world is always throwing stuff at you and the way our brains work is to do the fun things first. Here's why and how to shake that up and improve your life.
There's a simple way to do the things you're avoiding, and I want to encourage you to try it now.
Get out some paper. Write them down. Get clear on what you are avoiding.
Then do them.
That's it.
I understand this is very simple advice, but one of the most important muscles to have when it comes to you creating success in your life—success in your relationship, success in your health, business—is you have to start facing being uncomfortable.
You have to consciously face things that make you uncomfortable.
The relationship that most of us have with those things is to automatically avoid them. We might not even think about it. It’s very easy to fall into the pattern of wanting things to be easy.
Let’s time travel for a minute to a time 200 years ago. Right now when I want water, I turn on a tap. When I want filtered water, I turn on a tap. When I want electricity, I push a button. I want music, I push a button. There are so many amazing things that make life comfortable which weren’t widely available 200 years ago.
Let’s go back 1000 years. What were people doing for water? Looking for it. What did people do when they wanted to be warm? Built a fire. When they wanted safety? They had to build their own structures. Life was hard, danger was constant, comfort was almost non-existent.
Our world is made for ease and for things to be comfortable which is why we have to be careful. We get used to a certain life so when things are uncomfortable it’s mentally hard to deal, which is why you need to know the simple way to do the things you're avoiding.
Our brain, our unconscious mind, is programmed to find the path of least resistance.
When therapists are working with someone in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease, one of the things they do to keep the brain firing is get them to do new stuff.
Let’s apply this to coaching. In the beginning with your sessions and business and achieving goals, it’s all new. There’s going to be a series of things that are really challenging that you have to learn about.
It could be sales, marketing, social media, whatever. It doesn’t matter but the key is you need a relationship with saying “I am uncomfortable with this, but I’m going to do it anyway.”
You have to face those things consciously. Otherwise I guarantee you’ll never get to do them.
The world is always asking things of you—family, hobbies, friends, all things that say, ‘Hey, I need attention’—and you’ll automatically take care of those things first because they’re more enjoyable.
I want to encourage you to shake that up and start with the things that are uncomfortable and most challenging.
Those are the things that are going to help you step up and be the most professional coach you can be.
MATT LAVARS
One of Australia's leading coaches, trainers and speakers, and head facilitator at The Coaching Institute. In between mentoring thousands of coaches and leaders all around Australasia and helping others build incredible culture, Matt is passionate about fitness and music. His healthy office lunches whipped up in five minutes are the stuff of legend
