the will is overrated

I’m through with goading myself. It’s wearing and tiresome and makes life unpleasant.

On the other hand, like everyone, I have stuff to do I don’t want to do at the time I have to do it even if I know that ‘it should be done, I want it to be done, and no one else but me is going to do it.’

But this time, instead of biting the bullet and goading myself into action (and the inevitable re-action ‘hmm shouldn’t I check twitter first etc’) I decided to take a step back and think myself into a better frame of mind. And it worked- I made that phone call I had been avoiding. Trivial? I didn't think so. “Life’s progress is marked by such small but significant triumphs” as Mark Twain put it.

When you next have something you don’t want to do, instead of willing yourself – try and think what you need in your head to make you want to do this thing of your own free will. Take a step back and use your imagination and lucid dreaming ability (day dreaming in a relaxed state) to summon up some thing, idea, cluster of ideas, image, something funny, or fun,  anything that would get you doing this thing effortlessly. Maybe all that is needed is a mood shift from irritable to enthusiastic. Maybe you can shift the mood simply through a positive conversation with someone or even writing a blog entry like this.