Rational lies

 

20 years ago when I first did my leadership training (I have updated it with a new course since) We were taught the concept of rational lies. This is essentially when you tell yourself that you can’t do something for a reason that sounds plausible. It was taught to us as a bad thing, a motivation stealer.

However, since I started walking to raise money for charities important to me - the pancreatic cancer that took my mother far too young and far too fast, And the diabetes which changed mine and my son‘s life forever - I have found that rational lies are a helpful motivator.

Today I was asked by another walker what they can do to motivate themselves as they were getting behind in their steps. I thought on this during my morning walk. And the answer is rational lies. On days when I don’t want to get up, let alone dressed I tell myself that I will only walk down the street. That’s maybe one minute. Having got there I might walk as far as the shop. That is three minutes. Throughout my walk, I tell myself that I can turn back any time. It’s fine, It’s okay, and what would you tell someone that you love? What would I tell my son? I would tell him he can come back any time he likes and I will still love him just as much. So treating myself as though I am someone I love, I know it’s okay to walk as far as I want to and come back whenever I want.

And here is the thing. My walking challenge is 92 days long. 92 days of walking every single day. My target is 500,000 steps. One minute walking is 109 steps. Three minutes is 327 steps. Over 92 days That’s 30,000 steps.

The thing about leadership is you use yourself and you use your training and experience.  Any tools that you have can be adapted to meet the needs of the team. Together, you can climb mountains.