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Motivation 101: A must-do mental exercise that will aid you in achieving your lifestyle goals
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What is it that distinguishes someone who successfully achieves his or her lifestyle goals from someone who struggles to stay on track? Motivation.
It is difficult for many of us to embrace any kind of change, much less adopt and maintain changes such as learning to cook differently, starting a new exercise program, or asking for substitutions when eating out, all of which take us out of our comfort zone. Add to that the fact that these changes require planning and participation time. And of course, we each have our own individual list of obstacles standing in our way.
A motivator, a personal powerful motivator is what will kick-start us into action. A real motivator will keep us going when life inevitably throws curveballs in our way. A strong motivator will elicit natural willpower and self-discipline.
So before making any changes, take a few moments to sit down in a quiet space with a piece of paper and a pen and answer the following questions. The more thoughtful you are about your answers the more likely is it that you will be on your way to uncovering what it is that will spark your passion, determination and a firm commitment.
#1) What change or changes do you want to make?
#2) Why do you want to make these changes?
#3) What are your short-term goals? (4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks)
#4) What are your long-term goals? (1 year, 5 years, 10 years)
#5) On a scale of 1-10 (1-low, 10-high), how confident are you that you can achieve these goals?
#6) Now take a moment to relax your thoughts. Begin to imagine your ideal self. Jot on a piece of paper the things that come into your mind as you visualize the ‘ideal you’ not only in terms of your health and wellness, but in terms of your life as a whole. Be as descriptive as possible. If you were able to realize your ideal self, how would this feel emotionally? Physically? How would it impact your current life? How would it impact your happiness?
#7) Now look back at your goals above. Are these goals the ones that you believe will put you on a path toward achieving the ‘ideal you’? If so, re-rate your confidence level on the 1-10 scale. Did it change? If you feel that you need to modify your goals above, do so keeping in mind that the more you believe that your goals are related to your vision, the more likely you will be to stick to them. Now re-rate your confidence level.
This exercise will get you started. This is the first article in an upcoming series! Stay tuned for articles that will include details on how to fully and appropriately complete each question above. Keep your answers with you as you read each article so that you can add/modify/delete as you see fit. Let's take this journey together to uncover motivators that will lead you to success and help you make those changes last!
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