[CyberTOPS] Second ten 20 Ways to Sustain Motivation When You're Struggling

[Leslie]

The second half of motivation is to keep yourself going when you don't feel
the same excitement as you did in the beginning. Perhaps something new has
come into your life and your old goal isn't as much of a priority anymore.
Perhaps you skipped a day or two and now you can't get back into it. Perhaps
you screwed up and got discouraged.

If you can get yourself excited again, and keep going, you'll get there
eventually. But if you give up, you won't. It's your choice - accomplish the
goal, or quit. Here's how you can stop from quitting, and get to your goal:

1.    Hold yourself back. When I start with a new exercise program, or any
new goal really, I am rarin' to go. I am full of excitement, and my
enthusiasm knows no boundaries. Nor does my sense of self-limitation. I
think I can do anything. It's not long before I learn that I do have
limitations, and my enthusiasm begins to wane. Well, a great motivator that
I've learned is that when you have so much energy at the beginning of a
program, and want to go all out - HOLD BACK. Don't let yourself do
everything you want to do. Only let yourself do 50-75 percent of what you
want to do. And plan out a course of action where you slowly increase over
time. For example, if I want to go running, I might think I can run 3 miles
at first. But instead of letting myself do that, I start by only running a
mile. When I'm doing that mile, I'll be telling myself that I can do more!
But I don't let myself. After that workout, I'll be looking forward to the
next workout, when I'll let myself do 1.5 miles. I keep that energy reined
in, harness it, so that I can ride it even further. 

2.    Just start. There are some days when you don't feel like heading out
the door for a run, or figuring out your budget, or whatever it is you're
supposed to do that day for your goal. Well, instead of thinking about how
hard it is, and how long it will take, tell yourself that you just have to
start. I have a rule that I just have to put on my running shoes and close
the door behind me. After that, it all flows naturally. It's when you're
sitting in your house, thinking about running and feeling tired, that it
seems hard. Once you start, it is never as hard as you thought it would be.
This tip works for me every time. 

3.    Stay accountable. If you committed yourself publicly, through an
online forum, on a blog, in email, or in person . stay accountable to that
group of people. Commit to report back to them daily, or something like
that, and stick to it! That accountability will help you to want to do well,
because you don't want to report that you've failed. 

4.    Squash negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. This is
one of the most important motivation skills, and I suggest you practice it
daily. It's important to start monitoring your thoughts, and to recognize
negative self-talk. Just spend a few days becoming aware of every negative
thought. Then, after a few days, try squashing those negative thoughts like
a bug, and then replacing them with a corresponding positive thought.
Squash, "This is too hard!" and replace it with, "I can do this! If that
wimp Leo can do it, so can I!" It sounds corny, but it works. Really. 

5.    Think about the benefits. Thinking about how hard something is a big
problem for most people. Waking early sounds so hard! Just thinking about it
makes you tired. But instead of thinking about how hard something is, think
about what you will get out of it. For example, instead of thinking about
how hard it is to wake early, focus on how good you'll feel when you're
done, and how your day will be so much better. The benefits of something
will help energize you. 

6.    Get excited again! Think about why you lost your excitement . then
think about why you were excited in the first place. Can you get that back?
What made you want to do the goal? What made you passionate about it? Try to
build that up again, refocus yourself, get energized. 

7.    Read about it. When I lose motivation, I just read a book or blog
about my goal. It inspires me and reinvigorates me. For some reason, reading
helps motivate and focus you on whatever you're reading about. So read about
your goal every day, if you can, especially when you're not feeling
motivated. 

8.    Find like-minded friends. Staying motivated on your own is tough. But
if you find someone with similar goals (running, dieting, finances, etc.),
see if they'd like to partner with you. Or partner with your spouse, sibling
or best friend on whatever goals they're trying to achieve. You don't have
to be going after the same goals - as long as you are both pushing and
encouraging each other to succeed. Other good options are groups in your
area (I'm part of a running club, for example) or online forums where you
can find people to talk to about your goals. 

9.    Read inspiring stories. Inspiration, for me, comes from others who
have achieved what I want to achieve, or who are currently doing it. I read
other blogs, books, magazines. I Google my goal, and read success stories.
Zen Habits is just one place for inspiration, not only from me but from many
readers who have achieved amazing things. I love, love, love reading success
stories too. 

10.  Build on your successes. Every little step along the way is a success -
celebrate the fact that you even started! And then did it for two days!
Celebrate every little milestone. Then take that successful feeling and
build on it, with another baby step. Add 2-3 minutes to your exercise
routine, for example. With each step (and each step should last about a
week), you will feel even more successful. Make each step really, really
small, and you won't fail. After a couple of months, your tiny steps will
add up to a lot of progress and a lot of success. 

11.  Build on your successes. Every little step along the way is a success -
celebrate the fact that you even started! And then did it for two days!
Celebrate every little milestone. Then take that successful feeling and
build on it, with another baby step. Add 2-3 minutes to your exercise
routine, for example. With each step (and each step should last about a
week), you will feel even more successful. Make each step really, really
small, and you won't fail. After a couple of months, your tiny steps will
add up to a lot of progress and a lot of success. 

12.  Just get through the low points. Motivation is not a constant thing
that is always there for you. It comes and goes, and comes and goes again,
like the tide. But realize that while it may go away, it doesn't do so
permanently. It will come back. Just stick it out and wait for that
motivation to come back. In the meantime, read about your goal, ask for
help, and do some of the other things listed here until your motivation
comes back. 

13.  Get help. It's hard to accomplish something alone. When I decided to
run my marathon, I had the help of friends and family, and I had a great
running community on Guam who encouraged me at 5K races and did long runs
with me. When I decided to quit smoking, I joined an online forum and that
helped tremendously. And of course, my wife Eva helped every step of the
way. I couldn't have done these goals without her, or without the others who
supported me. Find your support network, either in the real world or online,
or both. 

14.  Chart your progress. This can be as simple as marking an X on your
calendar, or creating a simple spreadsheet, or logging your goal using
online software. But it can be vastly rewarding to look back on your
progress and to see how far you've come, and it can help you to keep going -
you don't want to have too many days without an X! Now, you will have some
bad marks on your chart. That's OK. Don't let a few bad marks stop you from
continuing. Strive instead to get the good marks next time. 

15.  Reward yourself often. For every little step along the way, celebrate
your success, and give yourself a reward. It helps to write down appropriate
rewards for each step, so that you can look forward to those rewards. By
appropriate, I mean 1) it's proportionate to the size of the goal (don't
reward going on a 1-mile run with a luxury cruise in the Bahamas); and 2) it
doesn't ruin your goal - if you are trying to lose weight, don't reward a
day of healthy eating with a dessert binge. It's self-defeating. 

16.  Go for mini-goals. Sometimes large or longer-term goals can be
overwhelming. After a couple weeks, we may lose motivation, because we still
have several months or a year or more left to accomplish the goal. It's hard
to maintain motivation for a single goal for such a long time. Solution:
have smaller goals along the way. 

17.  Get a coach or take a class. These will motivate you to at least show
up, and to take action. It can be applied to any goal. This might be one of
the more expensive ways of motivating yourself, but it works. And if you do
some research, you might find some cheap classes in your area, or you might
know a friend who will provide coaching or counseling for free. 

 

 

 

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kops roseLeslie K, MN 323 Champlin, Leader

WWW.TOPS.ORG

Present weight................... 228     June 25, 2009

Short-term Goal..................199

Goal................................... 140

Number of lbs. to lose...........88

Pounds lost..............................0 

July 3, 2009........................................0

Present weight..................................228

Number of pounds to lose..................88

Weekly Pounds lost/gain.......................0

Total Pounds lost...................................0

Total Pounds gained..............................0

Monthly Pounds lost/gain......................0

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