If you’re a fan of English writer P. G. Wodehouse, you’ll remember the aristocratic but bumbling Bertie and his brainy butler, Jeeves. Whenever Bertie would get into a jam (which was pretty much all the time), Jeeves would use his considerable brain power to come up with a brilliant way out. The secret to his genius was to consider “the psychology of the individual” — which sounds even more profound when you say it with a British accent.
If you’re an introvert working from home, you’ll want to consider “the psychology of the individual” when it comes to finding ways to overcome the inertia keeping you from getting out into the world.
As introverts, we are likely to be motivated by core values and a sense of higher purpose, so we do well to identify our Big Why. Having a Big Why helps by inspiring our spirit and generating the enthusiasm that makes us say “YES!” to our work in the world.
But we also have “everyday energies” to contend with. For convenience, let’s call these everyday energies the Inner Child. While your spirit is inspired by your Big Why, your altruistic mission doesn’t motivate your Inner Child to do the necessary boring and sometimes scary, comfort zone–stretching tasks.
So you may need to devise “Little Whys” to motivate this Inner Child — intentions that make your Inner Child say “YES!” to your day.
What happens when we don’t devise “Little Whys” that motivate our Inner Child? We experience the twin bugaboos of Resistance and Sabotage.
For me, the Big Why that motivates my spirit is to “awaken people to their authentic self.” My Inner Child says, “What’s in it for me?” I can feel the heel-digging resistance setting in.
An intention of Fun, Ease, and Flow are Little Whys that get my Inner Child’s energies on board with my Big Why. So when I plan my week, I factor in ways to carry out my mission in a fun and easy flow every day. When a task triggers fear, I strategize ways to take my comfort zone with me and make it fun. When a task triggers boredom, I figure out a way to make it fun.
To get all your energies on board for your mission, get in touch with your Big Why and create some Little Whys. As Jeeves would say, it pays to understand the “psychology of the individual.”