We’ve all got those big things we talk about achieving. But unfortunately what we’re going to do and what we end up doing are often two very different things.
Even if we feel passionate when we talk about getting fit, losing weight, getting a new job, often our motivation wanes after just a few weeks of setting out on the path to change. Excuses come easy to the demotivated too.
Having no willpower is a common justification for avoiding change that I hear on a regular basis, but the reality is there are many reasons why we often lack the motivation to change.
A lack of enthusiasm can mask a whole host of factors linked to low self-esteem for example. Having no faith in yourself, or believing that you are likely to fail regardless of what you do may make it easier not to try in the first place. It becomes a default setting and a self-fulfilling prophesy all in one.
Passivity can also become an engrained habit. The daily grind can mean you end up becoming a passenger in your own life and rather than driving yourself forward you end up drifting. Acceptance sets in and it just seems easier not to bother, because the alternative of shaking yourself out of this state seems like too much effort.
This could sound like a catch 22 situation, but there are some strategies you can employ to give yourself that much needed boost of motivation that will give you purpose and get you off that sofa!
Give yourself one single goal. Too many things to achieve will simply sap your energy and cause that mental fog that instantly robs you of motivation. Far better to achieve one thing well in a day than to set yourself up to fail with an endless list.
So be single minded and focus on that one aim. Break it down into small steps and methodically tick them off as you go. This in itself is rewarding and motivating, but also don’t forget to celebrate reaching your goal as this will strengthen your self-belief to carry on the momentum.
Building anticipation also helps. Whatever changes you have in mind, don’t start straight away. Give yourself a date in the near future and make that your ‘line in the sand day.’ This way you can plan to succeed. Research your goal.
For example if you want to quit smoking, learn everything you can about the process and how best to do it. Immerse yourself in success stories and find out how others have done and then plan your approach meticulously. This way you’ll have a framework to follow and you are more likely to stick to it.
On a daily basis, think about the benefits of what you are aiming to achieve will bring you. So often we focus on why something is hard and these negatives deplete our reserves of motivation. We talk ourselves into failing. List the benefits. Read that list every day to remind yourself of why you started the process of change in the first place.
Enlisting the support of a significant other can also help you over those inevitable down days, when motivation seems in short supply. A training partner, a diet buddy or just a person who will help to drag you out of your temporary malaise is worth their weight in gold.
Not everybody is lucky to have a person like that in life, so finding a great professional who is focused on your needs and goals can really help you turn your life around.
So no more excuses! Will power is not an innate thing that some people have and others don’t. Everyone has the power in their own hands to change their lives. It’s just a question of approaching it the right way.
