Do you ever struggle to take action on things you know you need to do but don't want to?
Of course you do, because we all do, let's be honest. In this video, I'm going to share
my number one tip for how to do the important things you don't feel like doing… on this
episode of The Dr. K Show.
I'm Dr. Karthik Ramanan. I help ambitious individuals end self criticism with tools
and strategies to create optimal everyday mental health. If you're new here and you
need to silence that critical voice in your head to get out of your own way and live a
purposeful life, I’m here for you. I encourage you to subscribe right now.
It's showtime.
I don't know about you, but I've always found it extremely difficult to do important things
when I don't feel like it. For me, it's working out on those mornings where you just want
to mail it in for a while. Do you have days like that? Or maybe that paper you need to
write, that project you need to work on, or that chore around the house you're just putting
off.
The first thing to recognize is that you're not lazy or broken. A universal fact of living
organisms, not just people, is that living beings only do what is necessary. We are built
for efficiency. Think about it. If energy were scarce, would we waste time doing things
that weren't necessary to survive? Conservation of precious energy is ingrained in us. So
what's the secret to taking action?
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This past weekend, I had the honor of emceeing the 33rd anniversary event at Arsha Vidya
Gurukulam, a school of Vedanta and Indian cultural center where I spent my summers in
high school years ago. I also gave a speech, which I'll have up here on YouTube in the
near future, for 800 or so people, plus a livestream audience. Every time I go on stage,
I soak it in, because I love speaking. I absolutely love the opportunity to be raw and real in
front of an audience and allow them to see themselves in my story and gain insight into
who they can become. I feel the most alive when I'm on stage. Despite an exhausting weekend
traveling across the country, preparing for the event, executing the plan, flying all
the way back… I feel invigorated, and I'm able to do anything without resistance.
That's the strategy! Do something that makes you feel powerful. Makes you feel alive. Do
that first. Then tackle the thing that doesn't inspire you that just needs to be done. Take
out a sheet of paper right now and start making a list of the handful of things that make
you feel the most alive. Start your day with one of them. And you don't have to do them
all. I can't be on stage every morning public speaking. So most days, I go to my next best
thing… singing! Start doing this each day and watch as you start doing those difficult
things that you know you need to do to become the person you know you can be.
Question of the Day: what action or activity makes you feel the most alive? If you feel
like being awesome, let me know in the comments below.
I'm going to do something a little different for this week's progress success. The Dr.
K Show has been going strong for 19 weeks now, and the response from you has been tremendous.
Several of you have asked me for more content, and to this point I've been apprehensive because
of the amount of time it takes to research, plan, script, shoot, and edit these shows.
But, great news, you're getting more very soon. I'm putting my story of "I don't have
enough time" aside, and I'm committing to creating another weekly show called "Walk
with Dr. K". It'll be more vlog style, more informal, where I'll share some more personal
experiences, answer your questions, and… well, let's just see how it evolves! I'm really
looking forward to serving you more, so if you're excited for the new series, leave me
a comment below. Thanks!
Hey. Friend. You know that thing you need to do but keep putting off all the time? That
thing that's actually quite important, but you find every excuse you can muster to not
do it? Well, it's time to start taking action.
Look, if you keep doing what you've always done, you'll get the same results you've always
gotten. Your best ideas got you to this place in your life, so if you're not happy, I invite
you to stop blaming everything else, stop blaming yourself, and just focus on the task
at hand. Take one step, now.
And I know that's not always easy. It's ok to not want to do that thing. We're not psychologically
wired to do anything that we don't subconsciously deem necessary. If it's not needed to survive,
you aren't naturally going to take action to thrive. You're not lazy or broken, ok.
You're just human, and that's perfect.
Because one thing about us humans. We do get excited about some things. It's different
for all of us. What is it that lights you up? What is it that gets you excited every
time you get to do it? What makes you feel the most alive in this world? Maybe it's busting
a dance move. Maybe it's singing. Maybe it's running. Look, whatever it is for you, forget
the thing you "have to do", and just go do what makes you feel alive.
As soon as you're done, immediately, without stopping to think, just START doing the thing
you have to do. You will be shocked how quickly your body responds with working on that task,
almost in spite of your mind. Ride that wave, and if you start to feel your motivation dip,
hey, just go back to doing what makes you feel alive, then come right back to the task
at hand.
Look friend, we've all got those days, those times where we feel we can't do anything right.
If you try to get out of your head by living in your head, it isn't going to work. If you
want to get out of your head, start living in your body and do something that makes you
feel alive first, then go back to doing that thing you know you need to do to become the
person you know you can be.
I believe in your greatness.