I was listening to a podcast the other day (The Weekly Parady if you want to check it out) and a guest said something that stood out to me. They said, “Motivation is so fleeting. It is temporary.” That statement couldn’t be more true. Just think of how many New Year’s resolutions are already dead and buried (I know I have some). Even as I’m trying to type this, I’m more interested in the Duke-UNC game and have checked Twitter multiple times.
To further explain that motivation is fleeting, that first paragraph was written last night and I fell asleep on the couch in the middle of writing this post. Motivation is a great thing to get us started, but it is hardly ever enough to carry us across the finish line. I have all the reasons in the world to make sure I write a new blog post every week, but it’s been over a week since I wrote my last one. I have a lot of reasons to get back down to my goal weight, but that doesn’t always get me off the couch and working out.
So when motivations hits, what do we need to do to help see our goals through? Here are a few things I find helpful:
- Schedule Time
This one is huge. I like to think that I’ll make time for things that are important, but the truth is that I often don’t. Whether it is reading the Bible, working out, or writing blog posts, I often find that if I don’t put it on my calendar it doesn’t get done. Recently I’ve started setting a bed time and getting up earlier to have time to do some of these things. When the motivation starts to wear off, having it on my schedule is a great reminder that I still need to get it done. - Get Accountability
As much as scheduling time helps, there are times that things are on my calendar and I just ignore them. There are also some things you can’t put on your calendar. One of my struggles at work is eating too much sugar because I am constantly surrounded by it. I made a goal to not eat sugar at work, but I can’t put “DON’T EAT SUGAR” on my calendar. So I told a couple of my co-workers my plan and asked them to help me stick to it. Sometimes when the motivations leaves, we need someone else to be the motivation for us. - Take It One Step At A Time
There are times where getting from Point A to Point B isn’t simple or easy. As I wrote in a recent post, you have to embrace the small steps. Break your big lofty goal into smaller, more obtainable goals. Celebrate the small successes on the way to the bigger success. As I said earlier, to help myself lose weight, I am not eating sugar at work (or at home on weekdays). But I’ve also decided that once I reach the halfway point I am going to allow myself one treat at work as a reward. I still have a ways to go to reach my big goal, but I’m close to being halfway there. The thought of reaching the point that I get the reward pushes me to keep going now that the initial motivation is wearing off.
Eventually motivation is going to wear off. That’s why it is important to find things to keep you going when you don’t feel like it. Maybe you have some other ideas that you like to use. If so, leave a comment and let me know because I’d love to give them a shot.
until next time…