I’ve now been going back to the gym for 3 weeks, 4-5 times a week. I’ve discovered that if I just go to the gym 2-3 times a week my days off become too tempting for me to have “just another” day off. Always promising myself “I’ll go tomorrow!”, which of course I ended up repeating the next day, until every shred of motivation had been stripped away.

So my first trick is to go every day. Even if it’s only for 30-45 minutes.

After a few days of this routine, or especially after a nice relaxing and rather over indulgent weekend, I would find Mondays a bit of a struggle. So this time I ended up allowing myself to reel off all the excuses of why I didn’t need to go today… but while I was actually getting ready and walking out of the door!

It was a bit like when you see a mother trying to put a coat on a petulant child. The child loudly protests and gives all the reasons why she doesn’t want, or need to wear her coat. However, when the mother humorously just agrees with her daughter, the child allows her to put it on.

During my own wrestle with my inner voice – while getting dressed for the gym – I managed to come up with the following excuses:

• It’s very early
• I’m still tired
• Maybe I’m hungover
• I might be ill
• I can take a day off
• I can go tomorrow
• Maybe I could go later
• Oh, I don’t have my iPod I will definitely have to go back home
• If I go back home I may as well stay there, it’s not worth it…

I was actually about 10 paces out of my front door by the time the iPod excuse was thrown in. But I didn’t turn around, I just kept marching my petulant child (my inner voice) off to the gym.

The great thing about this technique is that you end up building your motivation by doing what you really want to do, despite all the de-motivating self-talk. The following day, my motivation had returned to almost full strength. By today (Wednesday) I had no problem what-so-ever!

Remember, it’s ACTION that promotes MOTIVATION, not in-action.

David Cameron and Nick Clegg will likely face as much criticism as support over the “difficult times” and difficult decisions ahead. They have united in a spring clean not just of the electoral system, but also of the status quo and party relationships within all levels of government.

Who would have thought – Tories & Lib Dems?! During the past few weeks I’ve watched with a mixture of healthy skepticism and real curiosity. I have total respect for both these leaders for taking on a tough challenge, and I didn’t envy them their decisions! I have been excited to see what emerges, and to try and understand what it means.

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have had to consider a range of what seemed like ‘less than ideal’ options, and even in the face of that they have been able to seek and find true opportunity. Personally and politically, they’ve had to perform an honest evaluation of what wasn’t working – especially if it had done in the past.

So in the spirit of this sea change, we are offered the opportunity to look critically at our own beliefs and attitudes. What isn’t working? What relationship do we need to re-evaluate? Perhaps our relationship with ourselves, with money, with our partners/friends/family, with responsibility, with politics, with …?

As I noted down some ideas for this blog post earlier today, I realised this is exactly what I’ve done in relation to politics over the last few months. I was previously of the opinion that the three things you never discuss with anyone (especially family & close friends!) were religion, politics and sex. I ‘didn’t do’ politics; actively avoiding it until someone pointed out that this was in fact a political stance! I was happy that voting in the UK was optional (whereas it’s compulsory in Australia, and you get fined for not doing it).

And yet, I voted in this election. In the last few weeks I’ve spoken to family, friends, colleagues and college buddies about politics. I’ve facebooked about it! I read up on the parties and their main points of policy. Somewhere along the line I decided that if I was to vote I needed to make an informed choice. I watched as the first election results came in live, I’ve checked the BBC’s election website for updates and news on what was happening, and I’ve watched announcements by Gordon Brown and David Cameron on the day of change. And I enjoyed it! Dare I say, I even got a little misty-eyed when I watched the announcement of a “new politics” and the outline of the coalition with David Cameron and Nick Clegg standing side by side.

This was a fundamental shift in my attitudes and actions. So what happened?

1. I realised that I needed to re-evaluate my beliefs and attitudes towards politics.
2. I examined the fact that I do care about the place where I choose to make my home; that I believe in our right to have a voice and I didn’t want to take this for granted.
3. I was open to the possibility that politics could be interesting.
4. I realised that to be authentic, my old belief wasn’t serving me.
5. I embraced a curiosity about this change and what it could mean for me and the broader context.
6. And I chose to take action in the spirit of this change, despite being anxious or not always understanding or feeling frustrated as I tried to learn about the UK political system.

Change can be scary. Writing my first public blog post mentioning politics is scary! And whilst it may not all be smooth-sailing from hereon in, and my transition towards civic participation might feel challenging, I remain curious about the future and happy that I chose to re-evaluate my position.

I’m also curious about the future for this unique coalition, this “new politics”, the economic challenges ahead; and I’m excited about the possibilities – encouraged that 65% of the population (up from 50%) chose to take action and vote, encouraged that two opposing party leaders can talk as adults, UK citizens and humans!

Perhaps there is inspiration to be drawn from the most unlikely of situations; perhaps like David Cameron, Nick Clegg and I, you too may have difficult decisions to ponder.

What in your life could do with a sea change?

Finances: Research your quotes for electricity, gas, insurance, mobile, cable, etc. Companies are desperate to keep customers, so they’re offering great deals right now. Manage your debt. Cut up your credit cards, or decide to pay them off every month. Recessions are great for investors as stocks on quality companies also lose value. They can then be bought at a good price, with excellent long-term prospects. Interests rates are currently at an all-time low. So if you’re not locked in to lengthy fixed repayments, change your mortgage to a base rate or tracker.

Career: Practise a positive mental outlook. Redundancy can give you the perfect kick start to move into a career or business you’ve always dreamed about, but haven’t dared consider – till now. Make a list of your goals and options. And take small steps each week towards achieving them. Smarten up your cv and put it out there. Lots of people are too scared to change jobs right now, so competition for new positions has actually reduced.

Personally: Practise a positive mental outlook. If you succumb to fear’s stranglehold and consequent inertia, you’re an instant loser. Think like a winner. Pick someone you personally admire and model their behaviour. This is your chance to be adaptive, creative and try something or someone(!) new. Seize your day, focus on the present and stop procrastinating. Recessions can be a fertile time for professional and personal growth. You’ll discover your strengths – and make use of them.

Business: Practise a positive mental outlook. To survive in this climate, your business must be increasingly creative. You’ll need to look for new markets, and exploit existing ones. And refine your products and business strategies. Competition is reduced as competitors go bust. If you run a small business, it’s prudent to delay larger expenditures. But as with every recession, businesses will continue to do business. And consumers will continue to flex their plastic. Focus on issues you can personally control.

In essence, the recession can be tough for some, but it’s also a massive opportunity for positive change. Respond to the collective fear and anxiety by expanding. Take small, regular steps outside your comfort zone to increase your self-confidence and self-awareness. Make the positive decision to motivate yourself into realising your dreams.

Life coaching helps you rise to the challenges. You’ll discover your strengths and use them to propel your life forward. Personally and professionally you’ll become more creative, more fulfilled and more successful.