Motivation is one of those things that end up taking the blame for why many don’t and/or can’t lose weight.
When discussing motivation, we talk about it as if it is something that will make us invincible.
Without motivation nothing is going to happen; with it, we can move mountains.
This leads us to believing that one day – out of nowhere, you are going to wake up bursting with energy! New inspiration! With an unstoppable drive to take care of your health!
Is this true?
Is motivation really the missing component to your success story?
In order to write this piece I decided to look up the definition of motivation. My findings really helped me understand and I’m hoping it will do the same for you.
mo·ti·va·tion – noun – a reason that one has for doing a particular act.
Motivation isn’t some sort of secret ingredient that is magically going to make you super-human.
Motivation is just a reason behind the actions you take.
The question then arises:
Do you have a reason to take care of your health?
If you do, is it stronger than the reasons for you not to take control over your health?
It’s easy to think to yourself while you’re sitting down on a restful Shabbos afternoon reading the Monsey Chronicles, “Of course I have a good reason to take care of my health and of course it is stronger than not taking care of my health!”
But the test isn’t here.
It isn’t now.
The test is when you are wrapped up in the moment.
When you’ve just come home from a hectic day at work — The family needs your attention — The house is a mess, you can’t even think straight and your exercise routine sheet is hanging lop sided on your fridge.
The only thing you want to do is kick your feet up on the couch and give yourself the break you so badly feel is needed.
Now.
Here.
In this moment.
Is your reason for taking care of your health and doing the right thing stronger than doing what you want to do?
When you ask most people why they started on their health program they normally say it has something to do with a whiff of inspiration which sparked the desire to want to go ahead and lose weight; to take care of their health once and for all.
Without putting too much consideration into it, they start on a “diet” or subscribe to a fitness channel – believing that this time they got it. This time they are going to stick to it no matter what.
As things become harder to stick to (as they always do) the results start to show up less and less.
That rush of inspiration they had in the beginning quickly diminishes.
The reasons for not sticking to the diet or the workouts become stronger than the motivation to follow through. That’s about the time the diet’s over and you either cancel or let your subscription run through.
When we discuss motivation as something that super charges us, we are confusing motivation with confidence.
Confidence is built by committing to yourself and sticking to what you said you are going to do.
The more you stick to the commitments you make in your life, especially when you don’t feel like sticking to them, the more confident you become.
As your confidence in yourself builds, so does your chance of sticking to the program.
A lot of people are subconsciously aware of this.
In fact, the most popular thing I hear is, “Once I start on the program and start to see the weight go down – I will become motivated to continue on the program.”
Banking your success of your program on motivation and hoping that you’ll acquire more motivation by getting results – is equivalent to placing a cart before the horse.
Motivation is your reason.
If your entire reason for losing weight is dictate on the numbers on the scale I’m sorry to say, you are in trouble.
The scale is a tool to help you be aware of how you are doing in the program. It shouldn’t be everything. It is just an indication.
FACT – The number on your scale will vary given the time of day, the clothes you wear, the amount of water consumed within that day and more.
If your motivation (your reason for sticking to the plan) is based on a number that can be altered by so many different variables, what is the chance of you stinking to plan?
To give yourself the winning chance of actually transforming your life- there is some work that you would want to consider doing before choosing your program.
At the end of the day if you don’t have a reason to stick to your program there is no way you’ll actually stick to it.
Trying to be healthy is hard enough.
Doing it for the sake of doing it is not going to be strong enough to help you keep to your program.
First, think about your reason for embarking on a health program.
Ask yourself, ‘What is my reason for improving my health?’
Now, when I normally ask this to people the answer I get is, “I have to take care of my health, that is my reason for being on a diet.”
Believing that you have to take care of your health — although true, can sometimes be the very thing that gets in the way of taking care of your health. (The irony!)
We as humans love to have autonomy. Love to do things because we want to do them.
Taking care of your health because you have to and then coming home and wanting to have the piece of cake. ..
Our wants will always override the haves.
So a good way to think about the question above is to start off with the assumption that you don’t need to take care of your health.
The truth is you don’t.
No one can make you take care of your health. No one can force you to eat healthy meals. No one can force you to exercise.
By recognizing that health is something that you can or cannot take care of – you recognize it is solely a choice.
It is your choice.
Instead of thinking that I have to take care of my health because I have to, we now give the brain an opportunity to think in terms of what you truly want.
When you start to think about what you want you can find a really motivating reason to why you want to do the program.
At the Smith System we work with each one of our clients to help them find their true motivation.
Your real WHY.
We support and hold clients accountable to sticking to a plan that is right for them.
This gives each one of our clients the best chance they have to be able to stick to the plan and achieve their goals.
To see how the Smith System can help you call Tzviki on (845) 671-9945 and I will be happy to show you!
Committed to your success,
Tzviki