Where do you find the motivation or willpower to do something difficult?
For me, a large part of this comes from believing in my paradigm for this appointed time. As part of this, I have made it a habit of daily asking for the Holy Spirit’s filling, per Luke 11:13 and Ephesians 5:18.
However, there are times that despite my best attempts, I just seem muddled in distraction, depression, or the blahs. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I have an acronym I try to follow: NEW OP.
- Nap. Set an alarm for 1 to 2 minutes later and just let your mind and body take a brief rest. This can do wonders.
- Exercise. Nothing fancy here. Just something to get your blood flowing and your body more limber. Perhaps a minute of laying on a foam roller followed by a minute of planking would be good.
- Water. Drink some water. This always helps. Also consider bathing your hands, face, and perhaps your feet if this is not inconvenient.
- Organize. Take a moment and clean your surroundings a little. Also, sort through your thoughts by writing them down. Again, just a minute or so of this.
- Pray. Connect with a power outside of yourself. Realize the worth of who you are and what you are doing because of the creator that you worship.
All in all, the whole process should take under ten minutes. Ten minutes is still a sizeable block of time, which is why I don’t do this often. But when I need to, this is an incredible method for getting me back on track.
The acronym also stands for ‘New Opportunity’ (NEW OP), and this is exactly what it provides for you when you need it.