From Nike to Michael Jordan, it seems like every fitness guru’s sole aim in life is to motivate us. Let’s face it, the topic seems well worn, but we all need to be reminded of the basics every now and then.
First things first … make it live.
Motivation is dynamic – it needs to be kept alive to survive. Have you ever done something that you really didn’t want to do? Think – getting to work on a winter’s morning. Did you enjoy it? Probably not.
Staying fit or getting fit is supposed to be fun: a source of energy and enjoyment. Motivation can supply us with the drive to not only reach our goals but to dominate them.
We will be looking at 4 main points that are needed to keep motivation alive and kicking:
Think about what inspired you to want to set the goal? A local hero? Just be able to? Keep that in mind.
IMAGINE all your goals being reached, at the time you envisioned it – right on schedule. Succeeding in one area of life very often flows into the next.
Values are what you believe in. The part of you that wants to reach the goal because it’s something you believe in. Tap into this and make it work for you!
Finally, what methods are you going to use to stay motivated? Motivation is like a fire. It needs fuel to carry on. If you went camping, you know that you would need a fire to get through it. The point is, you’d have a method in place to keep your fire going.
How to STAY inspired? – Why is it so HARD?
Do you know what YOUR success looks like? It may be time to give this some serious thought, or it may be time to reassess your goals.
Thrivers! Set that inspiration alight! Once you know exactly what you want, it becomes more real – you have something to focus on. Where do you want to be in the future?
- Create a vision, know where you want to be and what you want to achieve.
- Think BIG! The big vision can be reached by taking smaller, well planned steps.
DESIGN YOUR VISION
Are you diluting your vision? It is so easy to get lost when things get hard! Consider the following:
- Map out your vision –Knowing what your road looks like means you know what to do every day to get to your goals.
- Remember your values, the ones that made you decide to create your goals in the first place. Values are deep seated motivators. Bring them out, dust them off. Make them part of your vision.
- What are your methods? When you plan your workout, make sure the methods you are using are helping you grow.
- Identify your challenges and obstacles –Being aware of this, will make it easier to put them in their proper place; in the “dealt with and learnt from” category.
COMMIT – the ‘work’ part of your dream
Committing is always harder than we expect, isn’t it?
What to do when Inspiration fizzles?
- Let everything you do be meaningful. Let everything you do contribute to the bigger picture.
- In that moment when you feel unmotivated – Prioritize something that definitely contributes to the success of your vision.
From our trainers:
“I love to empower my Thrivers by encouraging them to come to work out just once with me. I make sure it's a fun experience for them so they look forward to the next time they workout with a positive outlook. Once the workout is done, they feel better about themselves, and look forward to feeling that sense of accomplishment again. Just by fitting in a workout and checking that off your daily to-do list can be very motivating.
Personally, I keep myself motivated by scheduling my workouts into my day. I decide ahead of time what I'm going to do for my workout, then make sure I set aside time in my day to carry out my plan. I treat these workout appointments with myself just as I would any other meeting or appointment - I don't cancel. If you start treating your workouts as scheduled appointments with yourself and keep those appointments, you might just find yourself more motivated knowing you're making progress towards your personal fitness goals!” Danie Sanusi, Instructor, Thrive Community Fitness – Oak Harbor.