Habits That Keep You Motivated

 

Habits That Keep You Motivated

 

One of the biggest reasons why people fail to achieve any level of real success in their lives is a lack of motivation. Motivation is what gets you on the track to success... and keeps you there for as long as you need to reach your goals.

It's a sad statistic that less than 97% of the general population have sat down, thought about their goals and put them in writing. However, if that's all the 3% of goal setters did, then they still wouldn't experience the success that they've planned for. Not only do you have to WRITE your goals down, you need to put them into ACTION. And that takes a strong motivation to put into practice.

Motivation is the DESIRE, or the drive that compels someone to START and FINISH every task that they've set out to do. Add more motivation into your life, and you'll be able to get more things DONE, and as a result you'll experience a greater measure of the success that you seek. There are three proven steps that you can take to GET motivated and STAY motivated. They are...

1. Simplicity

Simplicity means being in control of your space, and keeping it simple at all times. You may have heard the truism that your space at home and at work is a reflection of your state of mind. More importantly, your state of mind is INFLUENCED by the state of your work space and your living space. If you're lacking motivation, it could be because the clutter and the mess in your space is putting a drain on your mental energy. Instead of allowing your state of mind to be created by your space, TAKE CONTROL of your space to create the best frame of thinking for your daily accomplishment. Make sure that you keep the things around you simple, neat and organized. This will do wonders for your levels of motivation.

2. Positivity

Having a positive mental attitude is a VITAL part of getting and staying motivated. In the course of achieving ANY goal worth having, you're going to face challenges and obstacles. If you don't have a positive outlook on things, then you'll get bogged down by these problems and eventually get stuck in a funk. By cultivating positive thinking, you'll be able to see yourself overcoming the challenges and moving closer to your goal. With a "can do" attitude, you'll be able to stay motivated even through the difficult periods of your endeavour.

3. Curiosity

One of the SURE ways that you can get motivated and stay motivated is to develop a hunger for learning. A curious mind is a mind that is always looking outwards, always pushing the boundaries beyond that which is known. Your brain thrives on learning new things, so by constantly feeding your brain in this way, you are cultivating a powerful driving force in you that is constantly moving you forward.

Make it your personal goal to expand your knowledge each day, and you'll seldom be short on motivation. I encourage you to THINK of how you're going to apply each of these steps to your daily routine, and then take ACTION on just one of these motivational techniques TODAY. I guarantee that once you do, you'll be able to access sources of energy and drive in you that you didn't know you had.

 

How to Get Rid of Bad Habits

When you know what do to, but you just won't do it!

"I know what I need to do, I just need to do it!"

I hear this statement all the time. Today I am going to tell you exactly what you need to do to become the person that knows what they need to do, and then does it.

We often see radical before and after weight loss stories. They encourage us and inspire us. They remind us that the human spirit is an amazing force to be reckoned with. Because of this, a lot of people will rush out and purchase a particular weight loss program. It's easy to think "If this guy can do it, I can too".

They aren't completely wrong.

They may purchase this program with hope and excitement and then, never open the package. Or maybe they open it and even start, then they lose hope and fall off the wagon.

So what's the difference between the guy in the before and after and everyone else?
I believe there are 3 huge differences between those who follow through and those who don't.

Pull out your pen and paper. You're going to want to write this down.

1. Why??? Have you ever heard someone say they changed because they just got to where they were completely disgusted and fed up. I am convinced that you have to be there before you will have lasting change. We all know the saying, "We change when the pain of staying the same is worse than the pain of changing". It's true. None of us like to change. So how do you get to this place? You have to ask yourself why. Ask yourself what your end goal is. Is it to lose 20, 50, maybe even 200 pounds?

Write it down.

Next, ask yourself why that goal is important. Why do you want to lose that 50 pounds?

Write that down.

Then ask yourself again. Why is that important? Do this at least 3 times. Sometimes it takes more. I believe we like to give the politically correct version to almost anything. I often hear "well I know I need to be healthier". Guess what I ask someone who tells me that? Why? Because just knowing we need to do something changes nothing. If we always did what we knew we needed to do we would rarely find ourselves in the mess that we are today.

I am going to tell you something about this exercise. If you do it right, if you dig deep enough, when you're finished- it will hurt your heart. Maybe you wonder why you would ever want to do something that you know is going to hurt. Answer: You'll only do it if you really want to change. I want you to write this down.

We don't change because of what we know. We change because of what we feel.

2. The Ability to Change Your Mind. This is the 2nd habit that we must work on if we are going to have lasting success. In any area! It's so easy to forget the amazing power we have to control the way we think. While animals have to act on their instincts, we don't have to! I hope you have completed step #1 because it really comes into play here.

You have worked on your why. You know why you want to lose that weight. It hurts. You plan on cooking a healthy dinner and sticking to your diet. Then life happens. All in the same day! The kids have been fighting all day, the dog is into everything (not that I'm speaking from experience), you're behind in your work, the house is a mess. You know all the usual stuff. Forget it- you're just heading to the drive thru. You'll start your diet tomorrow, next week, next month. It's just not realistic to do it now.

Now it's time to pull out that piece of paper. Look at that reason. The long term goal has tobe bigger, more painful, more important than the short term satisfaction you are going to get from going through the drive thru. That is the difference. That is what keeps you on track and keeps you focused.

3. Accountability. I find this one to be misused a lot! A while back my husband and I hit rock bottom, we were overweight, miserable and full of self hatred. We decided we were going to change. No more eating out. Exercise every day. That's it. Fed up. It never worked. Why? You have two people with the same bad habits trying to hold each other accountable. That doesn't work!

Accountability is not getting someone who is in the same boat as you (or who has never done what you are trying to do) to help you. That's crazy!

You need accountability from someone who has done what you're trying to do- and conquered it!
I am convinced that if you have these 3 habits in place, you can not fail. You just have to decide if you're ready for them. Not everyone is there yet. If you are, I can't wait to hear your success story.

 

 

References

Thad Bong

Megan Bullington