How to Trick Your Brain Into Doing the Hard Stuff

We all know the feeling—you know what needs to be done, but your brain is serving up every excuse in the book. In this episode, we’re tackling the mindset shifts and practical strategies that will help you take action, even when motivation is nowhere to be found.

What You’ll Discover in This Episode:

• 🔥 The sneaky mindset trick that makes taking action way easier.
• 🧠 Why waiting for motivation is a losing game (and what to do instead).
• 🚀 The surprising factor that separates successful people from those who stay stuck.
• 💡 One simple habit shift that can completely change your productivity.

#MindsetMatters #SelfDiscipline #SuccessHabits #MotivationTips #EntrepreneurMindset #TakeAction #GrowthMindset #DoTheWork #NoExcuses #ProductivityHacks

Want to connect with me directly? You can find me on all the socials @TheRealJamesDunn. I'd love to hear from you!

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https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealJamesDunn

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Transcript

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James Dunn: Oh, look!

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James Dunn: Hello! Hello! Hello! And welcome back to the show. Alright on today's episode. I want to talk to you about something that is probably not quite as fun as what. Hopefully the other topics that I generally bring you are, but something that's very, very important.

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James Dunn: It's been on my mind a little bit lately as a potential subject for the podcast here. And I've seen a couple of signs here in the last day or 2 that seem to push me more and more in that direction. So today, what I want to talk to you about is doing the thing you know you need to do when you don't want to do it.

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James Dunn: Now this can come in many shapes, forms, fashions, variations, might be in exercise, it might be in conversations, it might be work that you need to get done. But you know what I'm talking about, you know, to give you a quick, easy example that I share all the time. It's getting up and exercising

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James Dunn: for me. Personally. I was just talking to my cousin about this over the weekend.

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James Dunn: He, you know, likes to get exercise in on a fairly regular basis, but he tends to lean a little more towards the evening time to try and get his workouts in. He's not been super consistent with it, and I myself share with him that that's why I personally do all of my workouts in the morning. If I had to rely on trying to get the willpower. To do my workouts in the evening would never fucking happen, at least not on a consistent basis. There's just too many things going on through the course of the day.

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James Dunn: I don't want to get to the end of the day, and then feel like Oh, wait now I still have to work out. Oh, goodness gracious, no, thank you. I like to just get up, get out of bed and do that workout very 1st thing. And now there's many reasons why I like to do it that way.

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James Dunn: Scientific facts, whatever I don't know. I don't go into that mess. I just know for me my mindset how I am. What works best for me is just getting up and getting it done.

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James Dunn: So let's talk about that a little bit. Let's talk about that in other areas of your life.

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James Dunn: This is a key component to your success as an entrepreneur. And even just as a human. It's that ability to get up and do the things you want to do? Or shouldn't you say that you want to do that? You know you need to do when you need to do them, even when you don't feel like doing them.

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James Dunn: So another example. Let's let's lean into this. Give me a couple more examples. This weekend. I had a situation where I've got a family member who is unfortunately not in the best of health.

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James Dunn: If we had to guess. There's there was a realistic expectation that when I went to go see him this weekend it may have very possibly been the very last time I ever get to see him alive. I hope that's not the case. I pray that's not the case. I hope he gets much better, and is able to go on and live happy, fruitful, many more years. I don't know. That's the case, because he's been on a little bit of decline for the last couple of years.

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James Dunn: but there was a big part of me that did not want to go see him now. This was a selfish reasoning of not want to go see him. It's not that I didn't want to see him. I absolutely want to see him. I love my uncle. He is my favorite uncle no

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James Dunn: offense to anybody else, no other family members. But I you know he is my favorite uncle spent a lot of time with him as a kid. He was a very funny guy, great storyteller just all around. Good guy. I mean, anybody that knows this guy knows he is a good guy, plain and simple, so I love my uncle. I would love to see him, and would love to connect with him, but knowing the state of

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James Dunn: health that he is in knowing where he is at, in his current state of life, and what the very realistic potential is for him to not be around very much longer. I didn't really want to go see him, because that was something that I didn't want to have etched in my brain. I myself again, from a very selfish perspective, very selfish standpoint

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James Dunn: when people are in that decline of their health, when they're in that far gone of a state. And let me just give you a little bit extra piece of information here, you know, this is an adult male. He's probably 84, 83 somewhere in that. I don't know what the exact

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James Dunn: ages, but somewhere in that realm. But anyway.

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James Dunn: he just came home from the hospital last weekend. I think it was, and he was. He weighed 72 pounds when he got home, and that's just not normal for any adult male

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James Dunn: to be weighing 72 pounds. And so I already had this visual in my head of what he was going to look like when I went down there when I saw him, and I didn't want to have that image burned into my brain. I wanted to keep the image of the times that he and I got to go spend time together doing different things, and those connections we had all over the decades and decades of time that we got to spend together. That's more of the images that I wanted to hold into my brain.

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James Dunn: but I decided I wasn't going to do this for me. I was going to do it for him.

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James Dunn: because I myself I could make peace with the fact that I never got to speak with him again.

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James Dunn: but knowing that he was home, that he was bedridden, that he was not able to get out. See anybody I felt like, from a loving, caring perspective. It was a great thing for me just to go down there and visit him, to give him something to break up the monotony of his day, because, knowing again, he was laying there in bed all the time. All I could do is just watch TV couldn't get out, couldn't really do anything, can't even stand on his own right now.

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James Dunn: So to go down there and spend some time with him. I knew that would mean a lot to him. Not that I'm such an awesome and amazing guy, even though I am, but just having anybody come see him, let him know that we love him, that we care about him, that we want to still spend time with him. I knew that would make his day at least on some level.

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James Dunn: So I went and did the thing that I didn't really want to do, because I knew I needed to do it. I knew it was the right thing to do. And so again, this is flexing, that muscle that we want to learn how to do that on a more regular basis, because if we can't do that, if we can't put ourselves in situations.

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James Dunn: not even just from personal standpoint. But if, as we're going into business, maybe this is a situation where you're talking about putting content out regularly could be like a podcast. Like, I'm doing right here could be doing Instagram reels could be hard. Posts could be a blog that you're doing. It could be going out doing networking meetings. It could be doing anything in your business, but something that you know that needs to happen regularly for you to be successful. There's gonna be a lot of days where you wake up, and you just don't feel like doing it.

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James Dunn: Life is going to be a little bit crazy. You're going to have other things going on. You're not going to be feeling the best that particular day.

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James Dunn: but you still need to do the work, because if you don't, that's when you start showing up inconsistently. That's when you start dropping off, and that's when you start losing your confidence and your belief in yourself.

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James Dunn: You start judging yourself saying, Well, I didn't show up yesterday. I don't need to show up today, because now the streak is broken or I'm not. I'm not being existent, so I can just let this go. You're going to start on this negative spiral. If you don't consistently

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James Dunn: challenge yourself to do the thing you need to do when you need to do it, even when you don't feel like doing it.

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James Dunn: So let me give you a couple of potential

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James Dunn: helpful tips. Let's call them some helpful tips on, maybe how to keep yourself in line to keep yourself a little bit. I don't want to use the word motivated, because motivation, you know, we've talked about this more and more recently is motivation is bullshit. It's something that you can use to spark the start of a movement, but it's not going to keep you going. So let's just figure out some tips.

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James Dunn: and one of them I want to share with you is, make whatever it is that you need to be doing regularly a public thing. You know, if it's something like this, I'm going to use a podcast right here, for example. So for me.

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James Dunn: there are days when I can't wait to record podcast episodes. There are days when I really struggle to record podcast episodes. And we've talked about this, it's not because I don't ever want to do it. But just because some days I'm challenged, I don't really want to talk about. I don't know what's going on in terms of

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James Dunn: looking back over what I've done in the past. I haven't really taken enough time to get things ready, or there's there's all kinds of reasons why I might not be feeling great that particular day, but I know that every single Thursday I've made this commitment, that every single Thursday you're going to get an episode.

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James Dunn: And so that being a public situation, I can't just not put an episode out, or I could. But then my listeners be like yo, James, where the hell, yeah, what the fuck happened? Where's my episode? I have people that rely on hearing these episodes every single Thursday, and so, if I don't show up for myself. Then I'm not showing up for you, and I can't hide from that. You can't hide from that. If you put whatever action it is that you need to be taking on a regular basis. You put it out there on a public forum.

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James Dunn: then that will help you to stay more and more consistent with it. The second thing you can do, if you want to be more consistent and doing the thing you need to do when you need to do it, even when you don't feel like doing, it is having an accountability partner having somebody in your life that you do it with. So this would be something we could look towards exercise with, you know, if you have an accountability, partner, if you've got a workout, Buddy.

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James Dunn: then when you wake up like for me Saturdays and Sundays, you know, historically, have primarily been my run days. I go out there by myself because I just challenge myself to do that. But

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James Dunn: if I had a day where I didn't feel like doing it, I could very easily just lay in bed. Nobody's gonna know difference. It's just gonna be me. Nobody's gonna know if I went out there or not.

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James Dunn: But if I have an accountability, Buddy, if I have a run, Buddy, if I've got an exercise, buddy.

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James Dunn: then, when I don't show up, they're calling me. They're texting me. Yo, James! Where the fuck you at, what's going on, man, I'm out here at the trail. I'm waiting for you. We're going to run today. What's going on? And then now I have to give them my excuse of well, I don't feel like it today, and I'm kind of tired. I stayed up too late last night. Whatever I could have all these excuses that I would have to tell them, and then I'm going to feel like shit about it, and I could still do that. But being the person that I am being the person that you are. You're not going to do that on a regular basis. If so.

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James Dunn: that accountability partner of yours or that accountability, Buddy, of yours is not going to be hanging out with you very much longer. They're not going to want to associate with you in that

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James Dunn: perspective in that capacity

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James Dunn: because you're not being a good accountability, Buddy, for them, because they're also wanting you to make sure that they're showing up, because then, if you start not showing up all the time. Then if they don't show up

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James Dunn: and you don't show up. Well, then, they know they've slacked off, and that's not what either one of you got into that situation, for you got in that situation and chose each other as accountability buddies or partners, so that way you could both make sure that you did the thing.

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James Dunn: So that's the second way that you can really help yourself. And the 3rd way I want to talk about today is a mastermind. You know. I'm going to go ahead and do a shameless plug here. I'm going to do this a lot more and more often lately I've been pretty bad about not sharing

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James Dunn: this mastermind nearly as much as I could, because I always hate the idea of trying to be pushy being salesy, but I've recognized that by me not talking about it. Then that's depriving you from the opportunity to be a part of it and be part of this community, and part of what can help drive you to be the best that you can be. So if you're a part of a mastermind, you know where we meet weekly? Then you're going to have that same accountability

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James Dunn: setup that we just talked about, instead of just being one person, though you're gonna have a group of people you know, where you come in each week. And you're like, Hey, these are things I'm aiming for next week. This is what I'm going to get done. This is my targets. And then when you come back around into the group and we start talking about, you know, what did you accomplish in the last week or so?

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James Dunn: Then you're going to have to share with the group like, well, I didn't do this, and I didn't do this, or I did do this, and we can praise you, and we can celebrate you, or you know, if you didn't do it, we can find out, well, hey? Well, what happened? What was the action that led up to you? Not doing it? What did you do the day before? What was going on what was your mindset? We can kind of talk you through that. So, being a part of that community being a part of an accountability group, a mastermind. Whatever works for you. Specifically, it's elevate, that's awesome.

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James Dunn: But whatever it happens to be for you, being a part of some form of a group like that puts you in a situation where you do have to show up again more and more regularly, and doing the thing you said you were going to do because we're going to call you out on it. We're going to say, Hey, what happened? Why didn't you do this?

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James Dunn: And if you're not doing it just like we talked about with that single accountability, Buddy, or that workout partner. You're not going to be allowed to be in that space for very much longer. If you don't do the things that you say you're going to do, because what happens is you start dragging everybody down in that group.

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James Dunn: and

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James Dunn: if you've got good solid people in your life that truly want to see the best for you. They're not going to allow you to do that to yourself, and especially not do that to them.

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James Dunn: So these are 3 very simple ways that you can help yourself

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James Dunn: show up more consistently, show up more regularly, and do the thing you need to need to be doing.

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James Dunn: One of. I think the fears around not showing up and doing the thing is on those days that you don't really feel like doing it is you're afraid of not being perfect with it.

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James Dunn: You've got this feeling like, well, I don't feel very good today. And if I do this today, it's not gonna be my best effort. And I don't really know if that's gonna work out because if I put that out. Then that's gonna suck. And then people are. Gonna

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James Dunn: they're gonna look at that. And they're gonna think think I suck.

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James Dunn: But just do the damn thing, because by going ahead and doing the thing

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James Dunn: when you said you were going to do it, then you're going.

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James Dunn: I say this, probably every single episode, but at least every couple of episodes you're going to learn from it. You're going to grow from it. You're going to get better for it, because by challenging yourself and holding yourself accountable. You start building that confidence, start building a belief in yourself

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James Dunn: every single time you show up, even when you don't want to do it. That's flexing your muscle. That's telling yourself you know what I believe in me. I may not be able to give my

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James Dunn: 100% best effort that I could possibly do as a human today. But I can give my 100% best effort that I can give today. And for today. That's going to be good enough.

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James Dunn: because hopefully, you will learn from that. You'll look back on that. You'll reflect back and say, Well, okay, like we just talked about. What were the things that led up to me? Not feeling very good today? Is there anything that I can do to change that? Do I need to change a different day, a different time of the week? Do I need to have other people involved in this? Do I need to change the action altogether. Do I need to get rid of the action altogether? Am I tired of this thing? Is this something that doesn't work for me anymore for me personally talking about running earlier.

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James Dunn: I don't go running on Saturdays and Sundays quite as much as I used to, especially if the weather is not very good, because what I realized was, I've been challenging myself for years with all this exercise and going out there and doing this thing, proving to myself who I am, what I'm capable of, and pushing myself through those tough days, I don't need to prove that to myself anymore.

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James Dunn: So I'm diversifying my exercise routine. I'm starting to do some Kettlebell workouts. I've shared this with you before I'm doing Kettlebell workouts. I'm doing growing workouts. I'm doing other things and not getting stuck in that, only having that opportunity or that option of going out running.

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James Dunn: And so you can get to a point where you just say you know what this just really isn't working for me anymore. Maybe I'm gonna take a little break from this particular action.

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James Dunn: So I'm not talking about forcing yourself to do something that's not in alignment with you anymore. If there does come a point in time, if there does come a place where you realize this thing that you've been doing, and that you're dragging your feet on, and you're having a hard time staying consistent with it. Maybe it's something you've outgrown. Maybe it's something you don't need to be doing anymore. So really, look into that, dive into that, and ask yourself, is this something that still makes sense for where I'm at in my journey right now.

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James Dunn: Maybe it was important 6 months ago, a year ago, or even last week. But maybe today it's not that important anymore. Maybe I need to find something else to be doing.

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James Dunn: But don't allow it just to simply be the fact, like, I don't really feel like it today, because the more you do that the more you don't show up for yourself, just because you don't feel like it. You will

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James Dunn: start to beat yourself up emotionally, mentally. You're going to start talking down to yourself. You're going to start questioning yourself what you're capable of, and that is the last thing that we want you to be doing. We want you to be reinforcing

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James Dunn: the ability that you have because you are unstoppable, my friend, that's the whole purpose of this podcast is to teach you to remind you to show you just how unstoppable you are. So take those 3 tips. I share with you whichever one happens to work best for you, you know, make it public.

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James Dunn: get you an accountability partner, get into a mastermind or a group something where you've got that support group where somebody's going to be watching you and paying attention to you, because the more that you put it out there, and the more you take it just off of your shoulders and make these things like the regular occurrences.

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James Dunn: the easier it's gonna get for you to.

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James Dunn: It's easier it's going to get for you to do them, and the more confidence is going to build in you. And that's what we're all about, just building our confidence, becoming the best we can be, and becoming truly unstoppable. So I'm going to keep it nice and short and sweet today. But until next time, my friend, get out there have an amazing fucking day, and I'll see you then