A common statement I hear is "I just need more motivation!" or "How do I get myself motivated to workout/eat healthy"
I am certain you've had these thoughts, as has everyone! You may be thinking to yourself, what's wrong with me, why aren't I motivated like the people I see on Instagram? Why can't I seem to motivate myself to get off the couch, and why can't I stay motivated?!
What's the secret behind motivation? How do you actually achieve your goals?
The big secret is, you can't rely on motivation! You don't need "motivation" to do anything in life, especially weight loss.
Why? The answer is simple, motivation is fleeting and it fluctuates.
Take this extremely common example, that I guarantee has happened to you before:
Some weeks/months you're all full of energy and excitement for your goals.
You start the diet, you meal prep all the things, do all the workouts, double your workouts, you feel great, you've lost some weight, you're making plans for next week/month!
Then next week or month comes and all of a sudden, you're tired, you can't seem to want to do anything and the only thing you're motivated to do is finish that pizza and wine in the fridge.
If only you could just get motivated and stay motivated! What's wrong with you?!
Nothing is wrong with you, you are in a very common situation that most people go through.
No one ever reaches their goals by relying solely on motivation. Even the fittest, richest and smartest people in the world have ups and downs in their motivation. And yes, personal trainers have trouble with motivation for their own workouts.
What do you need to rely on? If we know that motivation isn't the answer, then how in the hell do you ever reach their goals? Are we all doomed to not achieving anything because we can't seem to get and stay motivated? No, of course not, don't be dumb.
You need to accept that you won't always be motivated. You have to know that motivation is nice and all but doesn't actually help you achieve anything.
What does help you achieve your goals then?
Action.
Yes, the answer is really that simple.
Let me explain.
Think about the daily things you take action towards and don't even think about. Brushing your teeth, making coffee, going to work, etc.
You don't even really think about these habits you do daily, yet you know the consequences of what happens if you don't. If you don't brush your teeth, you know that your oral health will suffer and it will lead to dental problems. If you don't go to work, you know you won't get paid and you won't be able to afford your rent, car payment, etc.
You're not always motivated to do these things, in fact, I bet you're rarely motivated to brush your teeth and go to work, but because you see and know what the result of these habits is, you keep doing them and continually take action.
By continually taking action towards a goal, no matter how big or small that action is, you, in turn, create habits.
Habits such as packing your lunch, getting up earlier to exercise, wearing your FitBit to ensure you get your steps in, drinking your water each day, etc. By consistently taking action to each of those habits each day, you are progressing towards your goals. You know that doing these habits as consistently and frequently as possible will lead to the results you want.
By creating and sticking to your habits (i.e taking action towards those habits) you will start to see results, which in turn will make you feel motivated to take more action! See how that works?
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| The real secret to motivation is to take ACTION |
It is not an instant process. Learning to take action consistently over time is how it turns into habits. As you develop and work on the habits, over time it will give you results, and even with the results, it still may take some time to get that feeling of motivation and wanting to take over the world again feeling.
You need to be aware that motivation won't always be there, and continue on despite the ups and downs in motivation. Yes, it will mean that some days you practically have to drag yourself to do your workouts kicking and screaming. It will mean eating more consciously and changing your current habits that are difficult to change.
By continually taking small steps towards better habits, you will make more changes as you go.
Understand that you won't be perfect because there's no such thing as perfect and that's ok. And when you do go off track, you need to know you just simply have to get back on track. For example, if you don't brush your teeth one day (gross but it's an example) does that mean you stop brushing your teeth all together because "Oh I'm just not motivated and I fell off track so screw oral hygiene!" No of course not, you get back to brushing your teeth ASAP.
You know that one day of skipping brushing your teeth won't make your teeth fall out, so you just get back on track. Same thing with your fitness and health goals. (note: I don't condone or recommend not brushing your teeth, I just wanted to use it as an example!)
The big secret to motivation is knowing that motivation is not what will get you to your goals, no matter what the goals are! The other secret is knowing that consistently taking action towards your goals will help create habits that will lead to results to help you feel motivated to take more action. But the key is that you must take action first.
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