Happy Monday!
I hope you all had a good weekend and are ready for the week! I was inspired to write today’s post after doing a podcast with Lifestyle Accountability a couple months ago. Good thing I finally got around to it now…
Whether you’re going after a fitness goal, working your way towards a degree, starting a business, or simply changing small habits in your life, these Three Steps to Finding Your Motivation can easily apply.
1. Find Your “Why?”
It’s hard to work for a goal unless you have a good reason behind it. WHY do you want to cut dairy out of your diet? WHY do you want to finish graduate school? WHY do you want to run a half marathon?
Imagine yourself completing your goal. How do you feel? What about your life has changed? When you find that feeling that you’re striving for, you’ll find your “Why?”
For example: Whenever I have a race coming up and I’m in training. It’s not always rainbows and kittens. When I’m slugging my way through a tough long run I try to imagine that I’m in that race. How does it feel to be running the last mile? How does it feel to cross that finish line? Accomplished, proud of myself, confident and (usually…) having fun. That’s my why.
2. Start Small
A lot of people start really strong and dive in head first, only to feel overwhelmed and quit soon after. We’ve all heard the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” You may feel frustrated and want to change something RIGHT NOW rather than having it take 3 months, 6 months or a year. But what’s worse? Achieving your goal in a year or quitting a month in and not achieving it at all?
By using small steps to slowly make your way to where you want to be, you’re engraining good habits and not overloading yourself with new responsibilities or changes.
For example: you want to start a blog! Awesome. But don’t expect to have tons of followers and comments right away, or even within a couple months. First, get a free account and start writing. See if you like writing just for you. Then get a twitter, start interacting on social media. If you still like it, try to join some blogging groups. By taking it step by step you won’t feel like your new goal has taken over your life.
3. Find Support
We are social creatures – even those of us who call ourselves introverts need support from the people around us. Trying to get into shape? Find a buddy to workout with a couple times a week, or join a group fitness class and get to know the instructor or someone else in the class.
Trying to start a blog or a new business? Seek out a mentor, someone you respect who is already doing what you want to be doing. Making a dietary change? Discuss it with the people you live with, ask for their support and maybe organize a “gluten free” or “dairy free” meal together once or twice a week.
For example: when I was training for the Chicago Marathon, I certainly didn’t do it alone. I joined a running group here in Chicago, I had friends who I talked to about running all the time, I basically turned my cousin into my personal running coach (thanks Allie!), and even my family who didn’t quite “get” the whole running thing came out to support me during the race, which meant the world to me. Yes, I ran the race by myself, but I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s support.
Do you have a goal that you are or want to work towards?
What are you tips to finding motivation and achieving goals?