Ever feel like you’re just wandering in the desert looking for the road to motivation? Do you find ways to self-motivate, or do you wait for motivation to come knocking on your proverbial door? Are you the type of person who sits idly by waiting for the motivation to “hit” before you start making efforts to starting eating healthy, exercise, train for that next race, etc?
I have to admit that I’ve always been one of those people who waited for motivation to come to me before taking action rather than jump-starting myself and making things happen. I was the type who would always say things like, “Oh, I’ll get back to working out when I can find my motivation again.”
Well, you know what I’ve been learning (about myself) lately? Motivation doesn’t just magically get lost. I’m never just trucking along doing great and then look around and think to myself, “Hey, where’d my motivation go?!” Lack of motivation is a choice I’ve made. It usually happens whenever I take my eyes off my goals.
Basically, I’ve come to realize that my motivation is pretty much like a three year old. If I turn my back for just one split moment, it’ll just wander off and then I have to go track it down again. As long as I make the conscious choice to keep my eyes on my goals though, motivation is right there with me hand-in-hand.
Believe me, I know all too well just how easy it is to get off track. For me, it usually happens when I start getting bored with the foods I’m eating or if I’m not incorporating enough fun/play in with my workouts. I start subconsciously looking for ways to start “slipping” from my eating and exercise plan. Once I travel down that slippery slope, it can be so difficult to get back on track because, once again, I start waiting for motivation to come TO ME rather than just taking the bull by the horns and following that old Nike adage of Just Do It! All I have to do is just make the choice to turn things around again. Even if I don’t get 100% completely back on track, just making that choice to turn things around makes such a massive difference for me.
Here’s a quote I found about motivation which I think applies perfectly:
“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” ~Mark Victor Hansen
One of my besties used to have a wonderful quote in her email signature that I’ll leave you with today. Think about it. It really is true.
“A year from now, you’ll wish you started today.” ~Karen Lamb
So, what are YOU waiting for? Don’t keep putting things off. Get out there and get started! My challenge to everyone today is to think of at least one thing that has motivated you in the past and incorporate that into your day. Perhaps one way that motivated you to eat healthy was trying a new recipe, then do it! Perhaps taking your workout bag with you to the office/work motivated you to hit the gym on the way home, then do it! Just find one small action you can take today to make a choice to be motivated.
Please drop us a comment and let us know what motivates you. You never know, it may be just the thing someone else needs to read to find their own motivation again!
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