Have you ever sat in a nice hot bath, full of bubbles and over time, the water becomes warm and the before you know it all the bubbles are gone and the water is cold? And it no longer is enjoyable? That’s exactly what happens with motivation. Losing motivation is common and it does happen. So what do you need to do when this happens or what can you do to be proactive? Well, first thing is….DON’T SETTLE or make any excuses! Take ACTION! Don’t just get motivated, get INSPIRED!
Here are 5 KEY concepts that you can use towards achieving your ideal physique:
Daily Reminders: Find a picture that represents your goal and inspires you. Either from a magazine, online, etc., and place in a spot where you can see multiple times a day to remind yourself about what you want to accomplish. On your fridge door, in your office, in your car.
Visualize: Picture yourself in this body on a daily basis! (It really helps if your mind can "see" the direction you want to take your body). Visualize what it would feel like to be healthier, stronger, and more self confidence. What types of clothes you would like to be wearing, Feeling confident on a beach in your bathing suit. What would it look like to be free of all of that burden of being uncomfortable in your own skin. Would it be liberating? Would you feel accomplished and excited? By attaching a feeling to the visualization, it will hold more value for you.
Law Of Association: Learn from people who have achieved what you want to achieve and let their good habits rub off on you. Get around them as much as possible. This also means stop or decrease the amount of time you spent around people and environments that don’t support your goals. Remove those temptations and associations that conflict with what you're trying to achieve and set yourself up for success.
Mindfulness: Stop and think about how you are currently feeling and what you will experience if you continue down the path you are going and don’t do anything about it. Imagine the positive things that will come with improving your health and fitness levels. For example, think about having an abundance of energy all day long because you are in shape. Think about improved self-esteem. Think about feeling healthy. Think about increasing your longevity in life. All of these will have a positive influence on your life; in relationships, work, and with yourself.
Focus: Let this unstoppable desire propel you towards your new goals each and every day! Focus on what you want and not on what you don’t want. There is a huge difference between the two! It’s easier to choose negative thoughts over positive thoughts. If a negative thought or negative image of yourself comes into your mind, quickly replace it with the image you do want! If you catch yourself engaging in negative self talk, stop and immediately replace it with a positive comment about yourself or something you are grateful for.
Now that you have some key tools to start with, it’s time for a plan of action. Choose your long term goal and then write it down. From there write the steps of how you are going to achieve it and be as specific as possible with your steps. Make it so easy, it’s impossible to fail and then use the key concepts to keep the momentum going.
Remember, motivation is like a warm bath, it doesn't last long, that bath will turn cold but by adding some inspiration, it can last forever!
P.S. These key concepts don’t just apply to body composition goals, they work for virtually any goal that you want to achieve. The concepts aren’t complicated and are actually quite simple, it’s the effort that needs to be consistent, everyday to have the compound effect.