Liquid Motivation

I came across a major discovery in the past two weeks. It’s so huge that I have to share it with you.

In February, I stopped drinking coffee. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest, I’ve gotten into espresso drinks. Over the years, I’ve lived with many baristas. I’ve even dated a barista. I know how to ‘taste’ coffee. I have a knack for detecting the best espresso drinks in a town. I’d like to think my taste is refined. And I feel that when I’m sipping on a fine soy macchiato. Mmmm.

I know coffee isn’t the best thing for me. I’ve known that for years. It gives my tummy some trouble and keeps me from sleeping as deeply as I need. And though I’d rather not admit it, I think it makes me a little snappy at times.

But I eat so well that it balanced out most of those symptoms.

So why am I not drinking it anymore? Well, that’s the interesting part of the story. I didn’t set out trying to quit drinking coffee. I set out to make more money this year. That’s been my overriding goal: making money doing what I love while serving my community the nutritional education they want and building a regional food system.

If you’re familiar with the process, you know that when you set out to reach a goal, you find obstacles in your path that are too big to walk around. Like a giant rock sitting there so big that you have to use all kinds of methods and tools from your toolbox to get around it.

Through a series of coaching sessions, I realized that drinking coffee was like putting an oil slick all over that giant rock. It was creating even more work for me to get through this huge obstacle in front of me. In order to reach my goal, I knew that I had to stop making it even harder on myself.

So I stopped. And I have a dear friend who is holding me completely accountable to this. In fact, a cup of coffee this year would cost me A LOT of money. What’s the most you would pay for a cup of coffee? Would you pay $50,000? That’s how much I will owe him if I drink that soy macchiato.

So I was at the HMBA conference in San Diego and I asked how I could stay more focused and get things done when I’m not motivated or inspired to do those things. Like writing my newsletter when I need to send it out the next day. Instead, I find myself organizing files or researching a hot nutrition topic or updating my website. Not on task.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but maybe you can relate.

• Do you ever make a to-do list and find it impossible to finish because you start cleaning out your garage—how can you resist when you are finally in the mood?
• Or do you plan to do a cleanse and everyday you make a new excuse about starting it tomorrow because all of the sudden you discover a recipe for curry that you just have to make?
• Or tomorrow you are going to get up and exercise, but then you wake up and want to have sex with your partner because you are spontaneously in ‘the mood’ and it’s been too long since you’ve done it so you have to take advantage of this great moment.

What causes us to ‘get in the mood’ to clean the garage, want to have sex, make a delicious home-cooked meal or do a detox?

Inspiration.

That’s it.

So how do I get inspired to write my newsletter when I have nothing to say? How do I get inspired to get up and exercise? Well, in the not-to-distant past, I would drink coffee and get totally motivated to do it.

And here I am almost 4 months later and still trying to figure out how to work without coffee.

I like it.

I’m learning what authentically motivates me.

What do most people look to when they can’t find the inspiration to do the task at hand?

Stimulation. Liquid Motivation. Coffee.

I’m on a new quest to find inspiration everyday in my life so I can move forward with an authentic connection to my purpose. I think that I will be less likely to go down rabbit holes that I used to get sucked right into. Now, I have to be motivated from an internal force to do things.

And conveniently, my goals are all in alignment with this. Someday soon, instead of having to climb over or drill through that giant rock, I’m going to learn how to build a mountain under that path and let gravity roll that rock crashing down to the bottom right out of my way.

Watch out world. Here I come.