Last year I worked with numerous people who wanted to do things better and improve a communication skill or effectiveness in a specific moment but sometimes struggled to find the motivation to get it done.
- The founder who wanted to be a better public speaker
- The investor who wanted to have better conversations
- The scientist who wanted to chair better panel discussions
- The policy guru who wanted others to back their ideas
- The creative who wanted to build a brand
All of them were feeling frustrated, annoyed and even angry at their inability to achieve their aim. They felt stuck because they were. They were busy people doing good things and often high performing in other ways but the block to achieving their specific aim was inaction on what mattered.
I’ve written before about the power of making the basics of good communication a habit. I see time and again that, just because they are basic or may appear to be common sense doesn’t mean that they are commonly done.
These examples were just like this. Intelligent and hardworking people who were allowing their mood to act like a fog, blocking the way to progress. They just needed to get started.
I helped them by pointing them in the right direction, giving them skills or techniques and sometimes confidence to act but it was the process of working with me and getting started that was the key.
Once they started then their negative feelings disappeared. This is proven in neuroscience that taking action activates the brain's reward circuitry, so dopamine is produced making you feel good.
Psychology backs this up too; behavioral activation therapy is an effective part of the toolbox professionals use when treating depression. Studies consistently show that engaging in activities, especially those aligned with personal values, improves mood, even when people don't initially feel like doing them.
There are many examples of high performers who are disciplined in how they approach their work and so remove any potential lack of motivation from ever becoming a barrier to progress. Instead, they replace it with an action focussed approach.
The acclaimed author Stephen King has shared about his daily writing practice in his memoir "On Writing," describing how he sits down and writes whether inspired or not. The act of writing brings the inspiration, not the reverse.
In sport, legendary swimmer Michael Phelps was helped along to his record 28 medals across four Olympic Games by his coach who designed training around the idea that champions do the work even on days they don't feel like it. The motivation comes from the doing.
If you want to get better at communication whether in a specific format such as using presentations or speaking up in meetings or being on conference panels. Or you want to communication to help you achieve a larger aim then get started.
Follow a process. Be consistent. Be disciplined.
Remember that mood follows action not the other way round. If you want to feel good about doing something well, you must get started.