Three Places to Find Motivation
You’re here! You’ve made the decision to get fit with me. You know it won’t be easy, but you’re up for it. Getting back in shape is something you’ve been thinking about for a while, and now you’re ready to act. But there’s one small problem: you’re having some trouble finding the motivation to do get things done. I’ve discovered three places to find motivation to get moving: Your Past, Your Present, and Your Future.
Motivation is tricky because the word has multiple meanings.
On one hand, motivation means “reason”, and I’m sure that you know why you want to get fit. Maybe you want to lose weight. Perhaps you desire more energy. It could be that you simply want to enhance the quality of your life. You could have any number of reasons for wanting to get fit.
On the other hand, motivation means “drive”, “ambition”, or “a strong desire to accomplish something”. I’ll have to speak for myself here and say that even though I have a 5K coming up in three weeks, (August 28th, to be exact) I find it really hard to get out of bed while it’s still dark outside in order to go for a run. Maybe you can relate to knowing that you need to get fit, but not knowing where to find the motivation to do so.
Your Past
Whoever said that experience is the best teacher, knew what they were talking about. The first place to find motivation is your past. Visiting this location with require you to go back in time, but how far you go back is totally up to you. Not too long ago, kids and teens were extremely busy and very active. Even if they didn’t play organized sports, most kids spent time playing outside after they finished their homework during the school year, as well as after dinner during summer. Think back to that time in your life. What were your favorite activities when you were a kid? Did you enjoy exploring the neighborhood with your friends? Were you fond of playing pick-up basketball, going to swim lessons, playing tag at recess? Finding adult versions of activities you did as a child could be a great source or motivation.
Another way your past can serve as a source of motivation is by thinking of a time when you felt
When you answer the second question, I’m sure that major lifestyle changes such as getting married, starting a career and having children might be some of the responses, and that’s to be expected. You’re not visiting the past in order to replicate precisely what was done back then. Visiting the past gives you solid ideas about activities that will motivate you to get moving, and it reminds you of positive, healthy habits that may have slipped your mind. Being aware of your past success gives you stepping stones that will serve as a path to get back there.
Your Present
When you’re going out of town, you have to design your route based on your starting point. If you were planning a trip from Seattle to Cancun, it wouldn’t make much sense for you to search for flights from Denver to Cancun. Doing so would only lengthen the trip and might even lead to a bit of frustration. Since the fitness journey isn’t all that different from a regular journey, another place to find motivation is the here and now. It may seem hard to believe, but your present can hold the key to discovering your motivation.
Let’s imagine that you really are traveling from Seattle to Cancun. You wouldn’t just wake up one morning and say, “I’m going to Mexico today!” You may know where you want to go, but you still need to take a look at where you are. Then create a plan in order to get to Mexico. Chances are you won’t create that plan on your own; you’ll consult travel experts and seek counsel from those who’ve been there before. The same is true of your fitness journey. You may have an idea of your desired results, but you’ll need to assess your current condition and create a plan to get there. Fortunately, you won’t have to make things up on your own since you’ve made the decision to get fit with me.
One thing you may want to l need to you may want to investigate as look into your present is how often you sit during the day. The average person spends about one third of their day sitting. Even if you don’t sit and average of 8 hours a day, I’m pretty sure that an assessment of your day may provide the motivation you need to get moving.
Your Future
The last of the three places to find motivation will require you to go somewhere you’ve never gone: your future. In order to get there, you will have to use your imagination. Although there’s no way you can know what the future holds, creating a realistic view of where you want to be can give you the motivation to make that dream a reality.
When it comes to forecasting your future, it’s a good idea to start small, but don’t be afraid to go big. First, think about where you want to be in a month. Then look ahead to three months, six months, and finally a year. Some questions to consider are: What do you want to look like? How do you want to feel when you wake up in the morning? How many races do you want to run or sports teams will you have joined? What will a perfect home-cooked meal look like?
After you have created a solid vision of where you want to be, you’ll need to determine what you will need to happen in your life in order to get there. By doing this you are actually creating a path that will help you reach that level.
Wrapping It Up
What I’m really trying to say is that the three places to find motivation are within you. If you take a close look at your present, your past, and your future I’m confident that you will find all the motivation you need to get fit with me. Simply reflecting on those three locations may not be enough. You may want to jot things down in a journal.
