What is motivation?
When I think about motivation, I think of two things: being productive and being excited. Let’s talk about the first one, being productive. For me, being productive gives me the feeling of being successful. Just the act of setting a goal and working towards that goal makes me feel like a winner.
Now, this has nothing to do with winning or losing, it’s just the feeling of working towards something that means something to me. These can be for huge goals, like running a marathon, or something smaller, but just as significant, like getting out of bed every morning. On some days, just putting my feet on the ground can be a very difficult task.
Fighting through the pain
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007. Although I have managed my diagnosis well over the years, it does take a lot of mental energy. Mornings are the worst. The muscle pain often is off the charts. However, I know the moment I start walking around, those muscles will slowly awaken and the pain will slowly begin to lessen. You see, I have found that, for me, just moving around is nature's Ibuprofen. Even though I know this, it still takes a lot of mental energy to convince myself to just get out of bed and start the process. I do this every day.
Over the years I have tried many different remedies and methods to help me deal with my depression, anxiety, and body pain. In the end, I have found many of these methods to be palliative. Personally, I haven’t found a magic pill. I do take prescription medication that definitely helps and I think having a good relationship with your doctors is extremely important. However, in terms of staying motivated, I believe that is a daily choice. It is an internal dialog with myself. I am in full control. No one else can do it for me. Either I stay in bed all day, or I get up and start to move. It’s 100% up to me.
Finding Excitement
Being excited! Yes, being excited about your goal(s) in the beginning is usually the best feeling. If you have a goal, you must be excited or you probably wouldn't have thought you wanted to achieve it.
Who has a goal to live a miserable life? Nobody. Or at least I hope not. When we think of a goal, we have a surge of energy. We start to see ourselves in that role. When we think about losing weight, most of us find the first week to be the easiest. It’s something new. Maybe you bought new workout clothes, or signed up for a membership at the local gym. Just cooking new foods or eating a new menu can be exciting, because it’s different. Then week two hits, and the momentum starts to slow. Those muscles we have not used in years are aching. The menu begins to look boring and the feeling and smell of new clothes has left. So how do we keep the excitement?
Staying excited
Today, I practice these 5 steps to help me stay motivated and excited while achieving my goal(s). What is currently working for me was discovered through trial and error. However, I remain very flexible. Nothing is cemented in stone. I feel it’s very important to listen to yourself. We are always growing and evolving. What helps motivate me today may not be what I need tomorrow. I have also found the same with those I have helped over the years to stay motivated on their path. We may all have different goals in life, but in the end we all have the freedom to choose our experiences. Here’s what I do and what I’ve done in the past that have helped me stay on track, and maybe these methods can help you too.
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Smile Every Morning
Every morning I wake up and smile as I think about the day that lies in front of me. Not only does this make me feel good, it makes me feel happy. I think about that fresh hot cup of coffee that awaits me. I have a favorite mug too. The shape perfectly fits in my hand. I can easily wrap my fingers around its smooth rounded body. Feeling the warm of the liquid through the porcelain. I drink my coffee in silence as I look out the window. Enjoying whatever weather mother nature has brought. This is my time to just let my mind wander. This is my favorite part of the day. I have realized, I am in complete control of everything I think. If I have bad thoughts or good thoughts, I am creating both. As I approach my 50s, I have come to the conclusion that having bad or self sabotaging thoughts and over-analyzing my every move has not done anything positive for me. If I am capable of producing a horror movie in my mind, then surely I am capable of producing something I would find more enjoyable, like a love story or a comedy. These are the thoughts I now choose to produce.Not being happy is one of the most popular reasons I see when people request a life coach. When I was a dental hygienist, I had many conversations with patients about their happiness with life, work, health, and relationships. This topic is very important to me and one that I feel is worth exploring.
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Journal
Keeping a journal has taught me many things about myself. First, I realized I’m not always consistent. Oh, in the beginning my journal looks great. I write in it every day. Then I begin to miss a day here and there. And then a missed day turns into two consecutive missed days, and then into a full week, and then weeks turn into months without journaling until finally it’s no longer my journal and now I’m writing my grocery lists in it. For me, I love apps. My phone apps are my journals. Today, there is an app for everything. I have a nutrition one to track my macro count, a period tracker, a medication tracker, one for workout programs, etc… Now, for someone like my spouse who is more traditional, he still keeps a paper journal. He journals everything and that is what works for him. In other words, what you do should work for you. Something you will consistently use to track your goals, your setbacks, and your milestones. These are all important to keep track of. Your journal is where you should be very comfortable sharing anything. I always feel it very freeing to write how I'm feeling on that particular day. For example, when I was training for my marathon, I had a running app that I was able to set the amount of miles I was to run that week, as well as a place where I could write how my runs went, how I was feeling, the temperature that day, etc... No matter what my goal is, whether it be a physical goal like losing weight or more career oriented like starting my own life coaching business, I have a plan. I’ve made a list of steps that will help me get to where I want to be. I set a date to achieve each one of those steps so I don't get overwhelmed trying to achieve all of them at once, which will most likely just cause me more anxiety. This is something I have learned the hard way and is something I am able to provide to my clients in order for them to have better success in achieving their goals.
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Stay Motivated
Staying motivated may be the hardest step in completing a goal, or at least usually is for me. I’m great about setting goals. I could set goals all day long. “Oh, I want to lose weight,” “I want to run a race,” I want to eat better,” “I want to go back to school,” you get the picture. Then I begin, it’s going great. I'm doing my thing. I achieve my set goals on time and on target...and then, something happens...life! I get sick, or my kids do. My employer needs me to work later for the next two weeks. My spouse needs to go out of town for a week leaving me to deal with all the domestic responsibilities. If you are anything like me, these are what I like to call “Life’s Curves.” They throw me completely off my game and have sabotaged what would have been some great success stories if I would have just stayed motivated to complete them. I like to get motivation from others. I love to watch motivational movies like Rocky or Rudy, or even motivational montages on YouTube. I also love to read self help books. One i'm currently reading is STOP Doing That SH*T by Gary John Bishop. I am also a huge fan of inspirational quotes. I find these all help my motivation. This is also my favorite part of being a life coach since I enjoy motivating others to help them be their best selves.
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Accountability
Yep, I did, I used the “A” word. Accountability. When I was 24 years old, I smoked a pack of Newport cigarettes a day. At the time, my spouse, who doesn’t smoke, had just enlisted in the US Army and was away at boot camp. I made a promise to him that when he finished boot camp, I would quit smoking because I knew in a few years we wanted to start our family and I did not want to have that addiction. So, I told everyone I knew that I was quitting smoking: friends, family, co-workers. When you do this something wonderfully scary happens. All those people then hold you accountable to your words. You then look at your goal not just as yours, but one that is being supported and cheered on by all those that care about you. I have found that I can do many things on my own, but I’ll be honest. It’s so much better doing them with people who care and support you.
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Celebrate Every Milestone
In 2018 I had to have an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion. My recovery was 6 weeks in a neck brace, two months no driving, and a slow workout progression with a trainer. I knew my recovery was going to take time. I couldn’t even walk by myself. WIth the approval from my doctors, I was allowed to go on guided walks with my family. I felt like the family pet, waiting for them to get home from work or school, so they could take me out around the neighborhood. The first time out, I was able to walk for about 10 minutes. I celebrated those 10 minutes no differently than the 26.2 miles I ran just 9 months prior. To be honest, just putting my shoes on and walking down the driveway to get the mail and back was worth a full on parade with floats, live performances, and balloons. Not every achievement has to be the equivalent to actually climbing Mt. Everest. However, in my opinion, all your milestones should be acknowledged as if you had.
Try these and let me know if any of them work for you or what you do to help stay motivated. You can find me at https:/throughlifescurves.lifecoachhub.com/.
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