Podcast - 4 Ways To Conquer Laziness

Today I want to talk about one of the biggest problems many people struggle with in the world today – Laziness. And share 4 key ways to conquer this negative emotional state of being. 

BTW, the audio is always better than the copy because I go off on tangents and add more value! :)

Laziness is a state of being but it’s really an emotional state or a lack of self awareness or emotional fitness because it’s primarily a state of mind that manifests itself in what we call Laziness.

In other words laziness doesn’t just happen.  It is the result of us feeling a certain way, which leads to the behaviour of laziness which is closely associated with feeling unmotivated or uninspired about life…which has a negative spin off effect into your healthy, vitality, physical fitness, productivity etc.

Now why is this important?

It’s important because if you’re lazy, it’s very difficult to get what you want in life – and in your health and wellness goals.

You see, if you want to be in the driver’s seat with these things… laziness is not a trait that is going to serve you well.  Instead, you need to be empowered, you need to have a compelling future mindset, you need to be forward thinking and functioning at a level of high vibration.

The problem is that laziness is a habit….that is harder to break the longer it has a hold of you.  And laziness is usually a by-product of being unmotivated, disempowered, unstimulated and of functioning at a low level of vibration.

It is usually a function of a lack of self-esteem or lack of self-love – which are emotions that can easily show up if you’ve been through some tough moments, rejected or been through some difficult challenges.

But one of the underlying secrets to overcoming laziness or a lack of motivation is your environment.  Being around positive people, positive messages, happy, progressive atmospheres that impact your emotional health and wellbeing.

Particularly in today’s world with so much negativity around us, it can be very easy to fall into a low vibrational state which can manifest itself as laziness.

And all of these positive experiences and traits cannot function if you’re stuck in a constant state of laziness.

So how does all this apply to your health and wellness?

• Do you want to over come your health challenges?  

• Do you want to be in great shape?

• Do you want to feel good in your body and optimise your physical performance?

• Do you want to reclaim your youthful exuberance and vitality?

• Do you want to avoid reliance on the medical system?

…All of this requires you to not be lazy.

Laziness is borne out of an addiction to comfort and a lack of self reliance.

But when you choose to be self-responsible, and in charge of your personal destiny, it completely changes your mental landscape…from disempowerment to empowerment.

And when you’re empowered you won’t be lazy.  You will find the mental fortitude to do the things you know you should that add value to your life, even on the days when you don’t feel like it.  And this is a great way to live.

You see we will always have days when those little voices in our head will say…hey it’s cold and dark outside – don’t put your shoes on and go for your morning walk, it’s safer and easier to stay in bed.  Do you know how many people succumb to those little voices every single day of their life.

It’s the difference between mediocrity and personal greatness

It’s the difference between losing and winning

It’s the difference between feeling disempowered and in complete control

Now, I don’t know what you want to achieve at this stage in your life.  But if you know there are times when you easily to succumb to the weaker parts of your mind and deep down you know that this doesn’t serve you well, I want to share 4 tips or strategies with you here to help you conquer laziness so that you can feel more empowered and in control:

1.        Set Daily and Weekly Targets

Whether it’s to do with your diet, exercise routine or personal or business goals, it’s really important to have simple weekly targets to chase.  Now in terms of exercise, if I said to you that walking 8,000-10,000 steps per day would add 15 years to your life if you did it everyday, would you do it? 

Would you find the motivation and conquer laziness because it was specific, measurable and achievable?  If I said to you need to make drink 2 litres of water per day, you need to get 8 hours sleep 5 nights per week, you need to make 5 follow-up calls per day to your prospective customers

2.        Have A Reward System

Most people gravitate to laziness because they associate the thing they SHOULD be doing as punishment rather than being pleasurable.

In other words, someone who needs to lose 20 kilos is not likely to last long on their quest to lose that unwanted weight if they treat exercise as punishment every single day. 

You see, anyone who is carrying 20 kilos of excess weight has likely been accustomed to comfort and a degree of laziness in terms of physical output for many years, so it is completely unreasonable to expect that a workout plan for that person would be sustainable if they treat exercise as punishment.

Instead, come from a place of self care, self improvement and self love…and everything changes from that mindset.  Not from a place of “this is the price I have to now pay for spending all those years being lazy and not taking care of myself”. 

Instead, “now I recognise that I need to start taking care of myself better.  I owe it to my future self to do the right things now because the trajectory I have been on has not been serving me well”.

And with that, it paves the way to create little incentives that can help motivate you to stay on track. 

Even though I don’t consider myself lazy in any way, shape or form…there are definitely days when I don’t feel like doing the things I know I should – business related tasks, fitness commitments to myself, saunas & ice baths…things that I know add value to my life and that I feel great after doing, but if I allow the voices in my head to stop me, I don’t follow through!

And on those days I find either a mental or physical reward attached to the end of accomplishing that thing goes a long way to helping me push through and do that thing!

One of my favourite examples is my weekly cross-country MTB ride in the forest.  As much as I love mountain biking, the rides I do are constant, physical and technical – and they are usually around 2 hours from start to finish.  And sometimes, those lazy or unmotivated voices will surface in my head – particularly on a cold winter’s morning and question whether I want to put myself through that today.  This is where I lean on my reward system.  Do the ride (which you know you love) and at the end of it, not only will you feel amazing but you’ll have your favourite coffee and big brekky waiting at the end.

3.        Start Early / No Distractions

One of the keys to crushing laziness is front loading your day with the uncomfortable things – the breathwork, the stretching, exercise …and then your most pressing priorities that require your creativity and focus.

Crush laziness by doing what you need to do early in the day.    This is why I am a big advocate for owning your morning routine – just as all high performance individuals tend to do.

Own your morning, own your day…and own your life. 

• No social media

• No TV

• No negative vibration

Pay your health and fitness and wellness forward by getting the things done that add value to your life, by eliminating potential distractions -  which is one of the keys to clearing your mind, having intention and avoiding laziness.

4.        Know The Cost Of Being Lazy

Because has human beings we naturally gravitate towards pleasure and away from pain…and laziness and pleasure are best friends…sometimes it can help to get conscious about the long term cost of being lazy.

What will things look like in 3, 6, 12 months from now.  In 2, 3 & 5 years from now?

If nothing changes.  If nothing changes, nothing changes.  And sometimes getting really clear on this and what the future looks like if you stay on the wrong path, is all you need to move from a state of laziness and disempowerment to progression and positivity.

Just remember as much as a physical manifestation, laziness is just as much an emotional state, that you can shift if you’re able to change your atmosphere and environment.

A little inspiration is sometimes all you need to break the cycle of laziness and to create positive momentum and move forward.  But just remember, inspiration is like a warm bath…you feel warm and fuzzy to start with but it soon cools down…which is why you need to build your emotional fitness and tap into the steps I’ve shared with you here.

And when you do that, you’ll be able to dominate laziness and not allow it to hold you back from being the best you and being in the absolute driver’s seat of your health and wellness destiny.

I hope you got value from today’s episode.  As always, thank you for reading.

Until next time, stay strong and live well! 

ZT.