I get the question “what keeps you motivated” almost on a daily basis and my immediate answer to that question is always “I fight to stay motivated too.”
I truly believe that motivation is a mindset. We have the ability to talk ourselves into or out of most situations. It’s often that we convince ourselves we will do it later or we need to do it right now. We live in a society where instant gratification is rewarded. We see social media as reality, when truthfully we have no idea. If you really look into what people post you will start to question what social media presents versus what is real.
Find the right humans and community for support. We need to talk more about the longevity of building habits and how to accomplish long-term goals rather than a short term outcome. We need to talk about the journey rather than the results. Obstacles happen, life happens. It’s what we do with the information that matters. Do we choose to hold ourselves back or rise above? All of us are human with opportunity for growth and this is what we should be talking about—not how to slim your waistline. When your mind is ready, your body will be ready. You will learn that no one or no thing will motivate you. There is no extra gadget that you can purchase or the highest paid coach that will talk you into choosing yourself. You have to do that on your own. I feed fire into people every day and the energy and excitement that I can give a human feels amazing! However they have to keep their fire going on their own in order to be truly successful. You have to keep telling yourself, over and over, until you believe that you have the ability to overcome and transition into your goals.
Speaking of goals, below area couple different things that I do personally to keep myself accountable:
Find your “WHY.” Look at long-term versus short-term. What is it that drives you? Why is it that you want to accomplish this goal? Is it health related, relationships, or money? When you have that answer ask yourself why again. This is something that I do with clients to discover the root cause. Sometimes the answer is alarming. Understanding the root cause is critical and it is where I start my coaching. Coaching starts with mindset well before I ever plan a workout or nutrition plan. It is important that your heart connects with your mind and they both buy in.
Accountability. First you have to hold yourself accountable. Are you putting others or things ahead of yourself? Be honest with yourself when answering this question. After you have chosen to hold yourself accountable, find a great support group. Find a great coach. Find the right people to follow on social media.
Boundaries. When you start choosing yourself and putting yourself ahead you will discover the art of boundaries. Saying no to some things but saying yes to yourself needs to come first. This can be difficult \ and can cause big questions to come up. Let me answer the biggest one that comes up for me. By choosing myself am I being selfish? My answer is simply NO. I choose myself because I am the most important person in my life. Without my health others around me do not get to see the best version of me. I preach constantly “stop canceling on yourself.”Every time you choose something other than yourself first you are canceling on yourself. The more you do it the easier it gets. Until you have that moment when you have to ask yourself “ when did I lose myself?” It’s not something that happens in one day, it takes time. Lose the excuses to find the results.
Discipline. Staying motivated takes discipline. It’s setting a schedule and sticking to it. Every morning I meditate before I ever touch my phone. I know that the second I look at my phone or computer I am going to have to start answering messages/working and I will get distracted from my routine . I choose myself, my time, and my process above others. Stay disciplined. The more you do it the more the habit builds.
You’ll find your motivation. Self discovery is the starting point. Find your WHY and motivation comes. Fight daily to hold yourself accountable, set boundaries, and stay disciplined. No one has ever said it’s easy.