Doing Right, Feeling Good

Successful people do what is right no matter how they feel, and by doing right they feel good – John C. Maxwell

I don't know about you, but so often I want to feel good FIRST and allow the good feeling to give me the oomph I need to do what I need to do.  Sometimes that works for me, but sometimes it doesn't.  If I'm in the mood to clean out a closet, I can get to work and turn chaos into order in a short period of time.  If I wake up with energy to spare, heading to the health club is easy.  If the scale gives me a number I'm happy with, making healthy choices is a natural.

Like I said, sometimes waiting for the feeling works for me and sometimes it doesn't.  Unfortunately, there are times the closet needs cleaning, or I need to exercise, or the scale is up a couple of pounds and I just don't feel like doing what I know I need to do.  It's not easy to always make the choices I need to make when I'm just not feeling it.  The problem is that when I don't do what I know I need to do, the inaction doesn't generate a good feeling - it produces guilt.  I pass by the closet and look at the mess and know I really SHOULD get at it . . . I decide not to head out the door to work out and then, when it's too late to go to the health club, wish I had . . . 

Inaction doesn't produce positive feelings and can put us into a downward spiral where the longer we don't take action, the harder it is to get started.  I've seen this over and over again with people on this program.  They start our enthusiastic and strong, then for a variety of reasons find themselves off plan.  That's when the challenge comes, because many wait to get started again until they feel motivated - they wait for the good feeling so that they'll do what they need to do.  Sometimes the good feeling comes and they're ready to get started again, but sometimes it doesn't.  People who went off plan over the holidays are still struggling to get back on plan 100%  today, almost four months later.  They're frustrated and mad at themselves for what they think is their lack of willpower, and each day that passes only increases their frustration at themselves.

When we can take a giant step forward and do the right thing, whether we feel like it or not, an amazing thing happens.  The good feelings we've been waiting for finally show up!   They don't always show up right away (wouldn't it be great if they did?), but they do show up!

When I tackle a messy closet even when I don't feel like it, good feelings kick in.  As I continue working and organizing, a surge of energy usually comes and carries me to completion.  Whether or not the good feelings come during the project, they sure do show up when I'm finished and admiring the order I created!  I may not feel like working out, but when I push through the "don't feel like it" and do it anyway, I'm always - always - glad that I did.

And when we get back on plan and do what we need to do, whether we feel like it or not, the good feelings eventually show up, too :-).  There is a sense of relief that washes over us when we take control and do what we know we need to do, and the scale usually rewards us in short order, which brings more good feelings :-).

The good news is that by doing the right thing, we not only end up feeling better about ourselves, but that action brings the success we're hoping for.  It all begins with the choice to move forward, whether we feel like it or not.  Choose wisely :-)