How to Stop Depending on Motivation to Reach Your Goals
The new year has come and gone, and if you are like most people, so have your New Year’s resolutions. Depending on motivation alone is not enough to help you achieve your goals. Motivation is great to get us started, and excited about a goal, we will discuss what keeps us going when we really don’t want to do that morning workout.
- Have a deeper meaning.
- Why is this goal important to you and your life? Create a quick visual in your mind connected to this deeper meaning. Maybe it’s the face of your loved one while you are spending time together, or an image that reminds you of where you came from. Use them when the alarm is blaring, and homework has turned out to be less fun than anticipated.
- Get comfortable with discomfort.
- The word passion comes from a Latin word meaning to suffer or endure. Caring about something enough to set a goal is the first step, the next step is to endure while you work towards that goal. Remind yourself of the deeper meaning of this discomfort. What deeper meaning does it bring to your life?
- Create systems and environments that support your goals.
- Building an environment that supports your goals is the true “hack” to success. Keep fruit on the counter where you will see it, put your gym bag in front of the door so you have to move it in order to leave, rearrange the apps on your phone so that education ones are front and center. There are thousands of ways you can build the environment and systems that support your specific goals.
- Remember that feelings don’t last forever.
- It’s easy to get frustrated and overwhelmed when working toward our goals. Allow yourself to feel those feelings and then move on from them. Our moment-to-moment feelings do have to define who we are or what we choose to do.
- Quit tomorrow.
- When things get rough and you just don’t want to go on, tell yourself that you can quit tomorrow. You’ll finish one more homework assignment, eat one more serving a veggies, then you can quit tomorrow. And tomorrow, you can tell yourself that you will “quit tomorrow” and so on.
- Adopt a growth mindset.
- Now goals often mean we need to develop new skills. Try using the word “yet” when you are feeling down. “I don’t know enough… yet.” “I can’t handle this, yet.” Remind yourself that this is about growth and learning and that you will eventually have the skills you need to succeed.
While there is no perfect formula for success since each of our lives is so different, these skills will help you to stay focused and reach your goals even when difficulties arise. Remember to start where you are and take one step at a time. Consistency and passion will help you reach your goals and see the results of your hard work.
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/how-to-stay-motivated
