7 Ways to Improve Your Motivation

This is absolutely not a post to help you keep your New Years’ Resolutions. Far from it. We’re going to go a bit deeper; no sugar coated bandaids here. It’s time to rip them off, pull up our big girl panties and get to the heart of the matter.

I started writing this post in my head earlier today in the shower (where I do my best thinking) after receiving a flurry of emails this last week from people struggling to stay on track. The enthusiasm of the newness of 2015 is over, everyone is finally used to writing 2015 and oh ya – we made resolutions right?  We WERE excited with a new year, a fresh start… and suddenly WE realized that we actually have to WORK at our resolutions. Couple that work with all the crazy norms of daily life that we thought would disappear with a shiny new calendar.  And guess what, now excuses are setting in and we might be at the point where we’re looking in the mirror hating ourselves for that.

Motivation stems from the realization of what our goals are and why they are important to us.  I’m sure you know what you want… but are you finding a hard time with that inner spark needed to get you there (aka motivation)? If you are, it’s unfortunately very normal.

That first few steps towards achieving our goals can sometimes seem long and daunting, if not impossible, but if we do not make it, the rest cannot follow. Let’s take a look at a few ways to improve levels of self-motivation and get on track to achieve our goals.

1. Own it

This is probably the MOST important tip I can share; accept responsibility! To help us make the crucial first step we must accept COMPLETE responsibility for our level of motivation.

Believe it or not, the rest of the world cares very little about whether we actually accomplish our goals. Some of the people we are closest to, may actually be the most hurtful and unsupportive – really!  No one else is going to do the hard work for us.

We may ask a loved one to help keep us motivated in our efforts, and they may kindly agree… BUT they likely don’t share the same emotional connection to the goal as we do. It’s a vicious cycle. They may be motivated to motivate us because this makes us happy and this may encourage them to motivate us… but subconsciously they realize that it is not THEIR responsibility to keep us on track, and their efforts will likely reflect this. If your best friend asked YOU to keep THEM motivated, you might think to yourself, “She wants to lose 10lbs… can’t she keep HERSELF motivated?”

Even worse, what happens if we don’t succeed or stay on track with our goal?  Those people we asked to help keep us motivated may become the blame… and we might even use than as an excuse for our failed efforts. Not fair!! Friendships are broken over stuff like this. Stuff that could have been prevented by stepping up and taking pure responsibility for our own actions and goals.

I’ll say this once; it’s time right now, to STOP looking to others for MOTIVATION. Motivation comes from within.  Many times, people get support and motivation mixed up; a support network is very helpful BUT in the end, the responsibility for change is 100% yours! No one is forcing Twinkies down your throat and no one is preventing you from pressing play, even if it means getting up 30 minutes earlier, before your family wakes up. It’s 100% up to YOU.

Develop a Support Network

Support is important. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people who encourage you is often extremely helpful when you’re on your road to success.

On my Facebook Page, I provide resources, example meal plans and more. It’s a place for like-minded folks to get to know each other and support one another in their wellness goals. Check it out!

2. Start it 

It’s important to tell yourself that you are going to have a fresh start. Part of a fresh start means taking time to forgive yourself. You cannot change what has happened. You cannot change how you got to where you are now. Embrace this and be grateful that you’re ready for change.

Many people chose January 1st to make a fresh start. Yes, it’s a new year BUT it really isn’t much better than March 25th for example. Select the date you will make your fresh start… your rebirth, your new beginning. Use the time prior to get into a focused mindset and prepare yourself for your lifestyle change.

As this date approaches you’ll feel a little excited (& nervous). A finding from a study at the University of Pennsylvania by three professors at the Wharton School of Business discovered that these “intertemporal markers” encourage us in two ways: first by making people disconnect from past failures, and second by promoting a big-picture view of life.

3. Specify it

Without clear, well-defined goals, we are lost – totally completely LOST! Without a measurable target, we won’t know when we’re hitting it and therefore we’ll likely miss the target altogether! By setting clear goals, and knowing that we are moving towards them, we are on track and fuel this fire. It’s an awesome feeling.

But, what does it mean to set goals? How do you know if you’re setting yourself up for success or failure?  It’s crucial set the right sort of goals. CLICK HERE for a summary on goal setting so you can make sure you’re setting the right goals.

4. Keep your eye on the WHY

6. Verbalize it

Let the people that are important to you, know what you are working toward and why this goal is important to you.

Verbalizing your goal will help move you toward your goal; the people you care about will be watching. These people can act as a great support network from which you can draw strength from BUT it is still up to you and only YOU to achieve this goal.

When you tell others about your goals you become accountable. It’s your word!

7. Write it

Put it in writing. I’m not sure how the magic happens here, but it does.  Here are three techniques that can help you put your goals in writing to make them achievable:

Write yourself a letter

This is a technique I use when I set a goal that is a little daunting. Written goals become concrete and clear. You become accountable to yourself, just as you did when you verbalized your goal. Here is an example of a letter;

“I’m so sick of hating the way I look and I’m tired of complaining about my butt to my husband. It’s horrible to see what this is doing to our marriage. I’m going to make little changes; beginning with NO snacking after dinner. I’m going to do this for me.”

Make a contract with yourself

Once you’ve realized your goal, making a contract with yourself can be rather empowering and fun.

A few months ago, my blood sugars were changing. I had introduced many new variables into my life (new workout regimen, new personal schedule etc) and I started having a few morning low blood sugars.  In an effort to motivate myself to get back on track, I made a contract with myself. I used the white board on the front of our fridge to keep track; if I could maintain 30 nights in a row with NO low blood sugars, I would give myself permission to buy new shoes.

Each day, the white board would say how many nights I had to go until I reached my goal which empowered me. It showed my success; I felt successful. By the end of the 30 nights, I had my blood sugars perfectly fine tuned and Rob and I celebrated with a trip to my favorite shoe store. What a great reward!  Yes, I could have just gone and bought my new shoes but this made it fun. The best part was having Rob’s support, cheering me on.

Use a Commitment Device

Another option is to use a platform like stickK.com.  It’s a platform for writing informal contracts, specifying your goal and asking a friend to monitor your progress.  You put up some money and if you succeed, you get your money back BUT, if you fail; your money goes to a charity of your choice. Cool eh?

StickK is an example of a commitment device, and it’s a great way to get things done. The founder of stickK is a professor of economics at Yale University who used a commitment device when he was a grad student. He promised to pay his friend $10,000 if he did not lose 38 lbs by a particular date AND he succeeded.

These commitment devices require that you set a CONCRETE goal. Instead of saying that “I’ll lose weight,” you have to say something like “I’ll lose 10 pounds by August 1st.” It’s also rather rewarding; if you don’t achieve your goal, at least you’ve donated to a charity right? But, let’s make sure you achieve your goal. No more using “lack of motivation” as an excuse.

After all, sometimes this excuse simply indicates you set the wrong goal.

But remember, the key to achieving your goal is that you need to OWN it. This is YOUR GOAL. This is not your BFF’s goal. It’s not your husband’s goal. THIS IS YOUR GOAL. As mentioned in the beginning, accept personal responsibility: If you don’t care enough to achieve it, how can you expect anyone else to care enough to motivate you to achieve it??