“I wish I had your motivation”, “If I was as motivated as you I would be out there doing that too”

Motivation (noun): the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.

You don’t want my motivation, its useless to you.  

Many people don’t realize that motivation is different for everyone and it isn’t one of those things that once you have, it sticks with you forever.

Motivation is something I need to find daily.  On most days I wake up – ready my positive quote of the day – and I am motivated, but there are also some days where I need to DIG deep. I ready somewhere early on to ‘fake it ’till you make it’ when it comes to motivation.  I posted quotes, I shared selfies, I wrote encouraging posts – and eventually it became my reality. Reading responses, seeing others do the same – the motivation and positivity became a habit every morning.

Motivation begins when you decide you are going to change or do something.  You decide to eliminate your excuses and get it done.

My Keys to Finding Motivation:

Determine your why – “a clear sense of purpose enables you to focus your efforts on what matters most, compelling you to take risks and push forward regardless of the odds or obstacles” – Warrell.   Sometimes we can be motivated by prizes, payments, etc but more often than not the motivation needs to come from within you. Visualize yourself reaching your goals and what it will be like when you accomplish it.

Find a system that works for you – Some people are visual and need to write out their goals and have check points along the way, I am extremely motivated by setting and reaching SMART goals – Is being part of a group of people with the same goals going to motivate you? Is creating a chart on the wall you lock at each day going to drive you? What about competition?

Set up a plan & take the first step – Have a deadline for various steps – What are immediate steps you can take, long term, etc. LISTS and calendars are my absolute favorite way to get things going.  Whether you take a small step or jump all in – anywhere from buying a fitness program, committing to a group, starting that scrapbook project, to applying to school – actually acting on your desires is huge.

Reward yourself – Determine at what point you will reward yourself and be consistent with it each time.  If weight loss or fitness is what you are looking for motivation to accomplish do not make these food rewards – new workout clothes, a new beach body workout series, accessories, a new book, a pair of shoes, etc.

Be proud of yourself every step of the way – do not wait until you reach the end to be proud embrace every bit of the journey. Allow your progress and successes to be the fuel, to motivate you.

Bring others on your journey with you – a huge reason I wanted to start a blog and Instagram-ing my journey is because working towards a common goal with others is extremely motivating to me.  Doing my first challenge group was one of the most amazing experiences. Sharing my goals with others and being public about my journey gives me a huge sense of accountability.

There are so many elements that contribute to my motivation – Sharing my daily accountability posts/sharing my journey, the people I surround myself with, daily personal growth, other people working towards the same goal in groups I belong to, checking my progress, being able to do more push ups than I could a couple weeks ago, knowing that my journey is inspiring others, and sooo much more.

Nothing worthwhile is easy – where does your motivation come from?

Live motivated,

XX – J