How do I stay motivated?
That’s got to be the question I get asked the most by my clients.
How do we stay motivated?
How do we stay motivated when the goal we’re after seems so distance?
Where does motivation come from and how can we create more of it ti achieve our goals?
Episode 012: How To Stay Motivated
In order to answer that, I think it’s best if we first define what motivation is.
I hear the following phrases all the time when it comes to motivation…
“I can’t seem to motivate myself to go to the gym and workout.”
“I just don’t have the motivation I know I need to have to lose weight.”
“It’s been a month and I’ve lost 6 pounds although I just don’t have the motivation to keep going to lose 20 more pounds.
“I want to run a marathon by I can’t stay motivated long enough to train for one.”
All of these statement suggest one thing, that motivation is something we create, that we either have it or we don’t.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Motivation Isn’t A Feeling, It’s A Choice
If we’re waiting for motivation to come along and get us going, we’ll be waiting forever.
The misconception seems to be that motivation is a feeling, it’s something we feel that controls our emotions, our feelings, our thoughts, and ultimately or actions.
Wrong.
Motivation is no such thing.
And while there can certainly be an emotional component at the beginning of any goal, it’s often short lived and doesn’t last.
Don’t believe me?
Take a look at gyms at the very beginning of every year and then again three to four weeks later.
What do you notice?
I’m sure you know the answer but I’ll tell you anyways.
You’ll notice that the amount of people in the gym at the end of January as opposed to the beginning will literally be half.
Those good ole new years resolutions are always short lived.
Why? Because the motivation, the “feeling” everyone had at the beginning of the year to get healthy, fit, lose weight, and look their best eventually goes away.
The “feeling” of motivation may go away, that doesn’t mean the goal goes away.
I don’t know, maybe it does and if so, well then that’s a difference story although that’s not usually the case.
What is the case and what I hear so many times from people and clients as far as the reason goes for why they stopped going to gym, why they stopped pursuing their health goal is….
“I lost motivation or I just couldn’t stay motivated.“
Motivation Isn’t Something You Lose
Motivation is a choice.
If motivation was a feeling, I can tell you now that I would never get out of bed in the morning at 4am to go to thy gym as I do now.
If I based it on a feeling, I would stay in bed because I assure you it feels really warm and cozy in bed at 4am.
I get up because I choose to get up – it isn’t a feeling, it’s a choice.
Motivation isn’t a feeling, it’s a choice.
For more details including three ways to keep yourself motivated and going after your goals, listen to the podcast episode above.
Thanks for being here.
Mike
Hi Mike,
Great podcast. I was struggling today with motivating myself to get on with the things I need to do. Had a few set backs and progress toward my goals was slowing to the point of standing still. But your message hit the spot. I was risking sliding in to an emotional turmoil trying to understand how I could motivate myself. But your podcast put it in to context, simply and practically. I have revised my exercise plan to get the best out of what I can do. I have avoided a reactionary response to an email about work. Thanks again. You are awesome !
Regards,
Soraya
Hi Soraya… Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it. I’m really happy to hear my podcast on how to stay motivated was helpful aand resonated with you – thanks for letting me know. I absolutely LOVE the fact you recognized what was going on, revised your exercise plan, AND avoided a reactionary response to a work email… that is awesome, you are awesome! It’s not about how many times we get lost and off track along the way, it’s to be expected… it’s about how many times we are willing to course correct and get right back on track, just like you have done…. Cheers to you! 🙂