With that being said, it's important to reflect on what motivates us. At this point in time the idea of a "new year" seems to be enough motivation to get people started, but what about when that initial spark fades? After about a month or so we begin to see people fall back into their old habits and turn their back on the resolutions that they were so ready to accomplish. Today I want to offer some tips on finding your true motivation, as well as some pointers on how to keep it going.
So let's fast forward a month or two... Your initial excitement is beginning to fade, you aren't seeing the results that you thought you would, and your cravings for fried foods are becoming more and more frequent. At this point you're basically ready to call it quits, so what do you do? DON"T QUIT! This is a place that even the most experienced athletes/motivators/enthusiasts, reach every once in a while. It's important to understand that not everyone will be motivated all the time but how you respond to THIS VERY MOMENT is what will ultimately decide whether you succeed or not.
Once you reach the point that I mentioned above, you need to reflect back to the beginning. WHY did you make a decision to change your life? Have you really given it 100%? Are you really COMMITTED to changing your lifestyle? What is it that's holding you back? Whatever it is that is not allowing you to move forward or is making you second guess your decision to make your life better, needs to go! Take the time each morning to reflect on your decisions, the day ahead of you, and to remind yourself that you DESERVE a better life. Each day focus on what's really important and don't give in to weak feelings or temptations. Build yourself up each and every morning.
Here are some tips to finding motivation when you feel like you are ready to give up:
1. Reflect on why you are doing what you are doing. Are you committing to exercise so that you can enjoy your life with your loved ones? Maybe you decided that you were unhappy with your image and you wanted to be proud of who you were. No matter the reason, take the time to reflect and commit to the promise that you made to yourself and/or others.
2. Find someone who inspires you. Is there a movie star, athlete, or family member that inspires you to be better? If so, learn more about them. Learn about their struggles and what they did to overcome their tough times. For me, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a huge inspiration and I often look to his story for motivation.
3. Saturate your social social media with positive things. Start following sites that post motivational quotes, videos, and pictures. I personally follow pages that display the life I want to have. Currently I'm following pages that offer content on the following: Fitness tips, luxury living, travel destinations, spiritual guidance, and motivational quotes.
4. Keep a journal or log to record your thoughts. Sometimes keeping a record of your day and looking back at it in the future can be enough to inspire yourself. This allows you to see how far you have come, or in some cases, it will show you how little effort you have actually put in to changing your life. The only person in this world that you need to be better than is the person that you were yesterday!
5. Understand that change takes time. We live in a generation of quick fixes and instant gratification. Somehow we have forgotten that success and results take time and they don't come overnight. In order to really change, we need to leave our comfort zone and this can take time for some people. It isn't easy to let go of our fears, but if we try just a little bit each day, we can do it!
If you can be just 1% better than you were yesterday, you can do great things in the future. Let's make this a great year and let's stay committed to our resolutions! No more excuses, no more fear. Let go of the negative and embrace the positive! Anything is possible if you believe it.
