Ride the Swing to Get Unstuck

Ever felt like your motivation is all over the place? Like sometimes you're super pumped and motivated to work on your goal, and other times you just can't get yourself to do anything?

Well, I have good news for you. You're not alone. This happens to everyone. And it's totally normal!

In this blog post, I'll help you understand what's going on with your motivation and how it works in 3 swings. Once you understand the difference between each swing, you'll know how to deal with those energy dips and get back on track. In other words, you'll know how to ride the swing to get unstuck!

Concept of 2 Swings and Safe Space

Motivation is an exciting energy we feel at the start of something new. It's the natural high and drives that are often externally initiated (we love the new project, or boss, or program...). Like any emotion--and feeling motivated is an emotion--it comes and goes. So once it disappears, we need something different to keep us going. And that something is a completely different type of energy. The energy of structure. This difference between the initial energy we experience when doing something new versus what will sustain us in the long run is sometimes called "2 swings."

The concept of 2 swings is a useful way to understand how we experience motivation. It also helps us make sense of why our energy and focus often vary over time. Once you understand the difference, you’ll know how to ride the swing to get unstuck!


Let’s look at how this concept can help you understand and manage your energy.

The 1st Swing - Motivation, Inspiration, and Excitement

We often feel a burst of enthusiasm and energy when we start something exciting and new. But as time passes, that initial excitement typically wears off. We realize that to really implement a new skill or improve it requires more effort than we had anticipated.

While we may have been improving at first, now we are plateauing. We return back to our day-to-day and feel that we can't integrate the new habit, even though we know that we should. And along the way, we become tired or distracted by other things. In fact, maybe we even jump to other activities that are still in their 1st swing; those activities give us that motivation, inspiration, and excitement that we are currently lacking and yearning for. It's a distraction but it feels good!

This is when the real test when learning something new happens — when it gets hard rather than fun. And that's where most people quit. They quit at the dip. It's called the dip between the 2 swings because that's where our energy drops to its lowest point. But if you plan for the dip and adjust yourself accordingly, a 2nd swing kicks in.

The 2nd Swing - Structure, Routine, Discipline, and Reflection

The energy and focus we need to get into the 1st swing are not the same as what we need to get into the 2nd swing. That's because while in the 1st swing we temporarily stepped out of our comfort zone (and felt some exhilaration from doing so), the 2nd swing actually requires us to grow and stretch our comfort zone to a bigger size. The 2nd swing is where we start to integrate the "new" into our habits and daily behavior. It's about being uncomfortable and pushing through anyway.

By starting to make this new habit into a normal one, the 2nd swing is when we start to see real progress. But in order to stick to it, we structures that enforce our discipline and keep us focused. We need to build our own ways of daily practice.

One way to do this is by building in practice time of the new habit around existing routines. Take something you already do every day--like brushing your teeth or walking to work--and build in time to practice your new habit just before or just after it.

By pairing your new behavior with an existing one, you make it easier for yourself to remember to practice that new habit. And soon enough, it will become easier to do altogether. That's when your comfort zone starts stretching and growing larger. When that happens, the new habit stops feeling as uncomfortable as it previously did and becomes part of your conscious abilities. That's how you ride the swing to get unstuck!

And while doing all of this, build in a few moments here and there to pause, reflect on your process, and see what needs to be changed or modified to keep up the good work. Reflection is key to making sure you are actually staying on track with your initial goal and not slipping sideways.

The Safe Space

During the 1st and especially 2nd swings, it's common to jump into judgment or self-criticism. You hoped this would be easier than it turned out to be. Or you thought you'd be better at this new skill and be able to see the impact faster.

Remember to be kind to yourself. This transition from 1st to 2nd swing requires support, love, and patience, so don't jump to conclusions too fast. Give yourself the time to practice, experiment, and even fail. Mistakes are your stepping stones towards success. Protect the safe space in which to make those mistakes and learn from them.

The 3rd Swing

If you get through the 2nd swing, then you're well on your way towards the 3rd, where:

  • The learning actually becomes integrated;

  • Our comfort zone expands fully; and

  • We can finally get the full benefit of the experience.

The 3rd swing is where we can start to reap all the fruits of our labor and enjoy a real sense of accomplishment.

In the 3rd swing, you start to look at how to maintain this new habit in the long run. Ask yourself, what are you going to do every 3-6 months to make sure to keep your new skills sharp and ready? This is also where the celebration is so important, as it triggers the brain's positive reinforcement mechanism by releasing those feel-good hormones that make you want to succeed even more. Be grateful for what you've accomplished and any support you've had along the way.

The graphic below shows how our energy works in 2 swings with a safe space for growth, learning, and appreciation, and 3rd swing coming right after that:

Takeaway

Ride the swing to get unstuck!

Learning to deal with energy swings is an important part of the process of building a healthy, fulfilling life. Understanding the concept of fluctuating motivation can help us to get unstuck and back on track.

So the next time you feel unmotivated or stuck in a cycle of unproductive behavior, try taking a step back to reflect on what’s happening behind the scenes. Where are you in the journey of 2 swings, and what energy do you need now to keep going? Then use that information to make changes in your environment or approach to help you get back on track with your goals.

References

Transformation Architects - Culture Transformation: “Two Swings & Safe Space!”