I love making lists. And even more than that, I love crossing things off of lists. In sharpie. (I’m currently using a fuchsia sharpie which I HIGHLY recommend)
But crossing things off with a fuchsia sharpie is not the modification that will change everything. What I am referring to will actually affect the probability of COMPLETING things on the list.
Excited? Intrigued?
What IS this change, you ask?
Instead of making a to-do list, laden with the heaviness of “should” and “have to”,
try making a “ta-da” list, as in, the sound a magician makes after dazzling you with a trick.
Not convinced? That’s because you haven’t tried it yet (and because I haven’t told you how it works).
Typically when we make a to-do list it’s because we feel we have a lot to accomplish and we don’t want to forget anything. Sometimes we even make the list as a way of pretending productivity while we are actually procrastinating on getting started (ok maybe that’s just me).
So, what’s the deal with a Ta-Da list?
It basically taps into something that elite athletes have been doing for years, you could even say it’s something that I have in common with elite athletes…
Visualization of the win, of the finish, of the goal attained. Although this was a new idea in the 1970s when Russian gymnasts started training in this way, it is now a commonly accepted practice. Visualizing the win (and the steps leading up to it) actually improves the chance of that win coming to fruition. And tapping into that feeling of success moves you from dread to confidence.
By switching from to-do to ta-da we are moving from the place of incomplete to complete. And that mental shift will drive us to success.
An added benefit? Our brains associate “Ta-da” with something positive and fun- not something difficult. Those neural pathways are already established from a young age and conditioning. (Why not use our childhood programming to our advantage?)
It isn’t hard.
It doesn’t take a long time.
Write Ta-Da on the top of your list.
Picture yourself crossing off the last thing (fuchsia sharpie optional), throwing your hands in the air and saying “ta-da!”
Acknowledge the ridiculous smile that comes to your face and then get to work.
This can be the little pick-me up that gets you moving toward crushing your goals, and not with dread but with certainty and satisfaction.
If it works for Olympians, it can work for us.
“Ta-da!”
Come on over and share your Ta-da moments with me on Facebook at NursingbeyondtheJob
It may be the positivity that you need on your social feed. Not feeling positive? That's ok- come on over anyway :)
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