Showing posts with label Motivation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Motivation. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Stay Committed, Stay True, Stay Toned
I fall and fail as much as I get up and succeed. This is my truth and it applies to everything in my life—including my workouts. I often ask myself on any given day, particularly on the days where the biggest challenge can be just getting out of bed, "what is my motivation?". It's a fair enough question, wouldn't you say?
Each of us whether we realize it or not, begins our journey towards a better body or sense of self for a reason: to get into that pair of skinny jeans, to look good for an upcoming social event, or because we are tired of looking in the mirror and not loving the body we see. In all of those cases, there is something external to motivate us. We have something material we can look at and work towards to keep us on the right track.
But, what happens when that thing no longer exists? Where do you find the internal motivation once you reach your goal?
As easy as you consider the answer to this question to be, please understand that it is much harder than you think. We all to some extent become satisfied enough with our progress to start making allowances for our actions.
It may start with an act as simple as eating a slice of pie or skipping a workout. Before you know it you're justifying eating out and cutting back on your cardio because "one day won't hurt me"—believe me, I've been there, and it's a miserable feeling to wallow in the guilt you feel when your "one day" turns into one week, one month, and so on.
You have to commit everyday to being the person who is dedicated to keeping his/her workout regimen in tact. If you don't, you run the risk of seeing all your hard work go down the drain.
Each of us whether we realize it or not, begins our journey towards a better body or sense of self for a reason: to get into that pair of skinny jeans, to look good for an upcoming social event, or because we are tired of looking in the mirror and not loving the body we see. In all of those cases, there is something external to motivate us. We have something material we can look at and work towards to keep us on the right track.
But, what happens when that thing no longer exists? Where do you find the internal motivation once you reach your goal?
As easy as you consider the answer to this question to be, please understand that it is much harder than you think. We all to some extent become satisfied enough with our progress to start making allowances for our actions.
It may start with an act as simple as eating a slice of pie or skipping a workout. Before you know it you're justifying eating out and cutting back on your cardio because "one day won't hurt me"—believe me, I've been there, and it's a miserable feeling to wallow in the guilt you feel when your "one day" turns into one week, one month, and so on.
You have to commit everyday to being the person who is dedicated to keeping his/her workout regimen in tact. If you don't, you run the risk of seeing all your hard work go down the drain.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Take Control of Your Day
It's not always easy to stay cheerful and focused—as a matter of fact, it's hard work—however, as a wife, mother, and superwoman (yes, I am), I find that it's a much harder thing to allow the negative forces of life to rule me. I simply don't have time to add those demons into a day that already has the potential to be a challenge.
Let's face it, there are multiple reasons to get up in the morning and say, "this day will mirror the rest of em'—poorly planned and poorly executed—so why bother making the effort to be productive?" Well, if you're like most, you make the effort based on the possibility that the day could turn out to be special.
My advice is to focus on the latter point more. Stop making it tough for yourself to find the positive spaces within the harried levels of your daily life. Wake up and take five minutes to imagine the day as a success—visualize yourself getting something done and being a productive piece of this overwhelming puzzle—not a failure.
You have a responsibility, to yourself, to be more than just an instrument utilized improperly by someone else. Take control of your day and make something good happen.
Let's face it, there are multiple reasons to get up in the morning and say, "this day will mirror the rest of em'—poorly planned and poorly executed—so why bother making the effort to be productive?" Well, if you're like most, you make the effort based on the possibility that the day could turn out to be special.
My advice is to focus on the latter point more. Stop making it tough for yourself to find the positive spaces within the harried levels of your daily life. Wake up and take five minutes to imagine the day as a success—visualize yourself getting something done and being a productive piece of this overwhelming puzzle—not a failure.
You have a responsibility, to yourself, to be more than just an instrument utilized improperly by someone else. Take control of your day and make something good happen.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Day 17: Mirror, Mirror...
What you see when you look in the mirror can tell you a lot about yourself.
It's human nature to pick at the flaws: Our hair is too short or too long, our nose is too big or too little, our teeth are too crooked or too yellow, or we wish we had a more ideal body—one that rivals that of an athlete or a movie star.
That said, some of us have a tendency to be more critical than others. Some of us see flaws that aren't there—things that we perceive, in our minds, to be visible to others, but that are, in truth, only a reflection of what we feel inside.
It's those thoughts that can be the most damaging to our self-worth and overall growth potential.
At some point, you have to come to a crossroads about who you are, and who you can be. None of us are destined for perfection, but no one will fault you for trying to be the best version of you that you can—so, go for it.
However, don't lose perspective in the process. Always remember why you are doing what you're doing.
If your motivation is to fit a goal that you've already realized within yourself, then plug away. There is nothing wrong with self-improvement that's born of positive self-actualization.
On the flip side, if your goal is set based on external factors in your environment, then you could be setting yourself up for failure. There is nothing "real" about the images you see on a billboard or a television screen. A lot of people, trainers, and money are behind the pretty pictures you see, and setting your goal based solely those images is akin to setting out on a dark path—minus a working flashlight, a map, or a clear sense of direction—you might get there, at some point, but your emotional and psychological compass will be battered and bruised a great deal along the way.
Don't let your journey towards self-actualization be set using a worldly compass, develop your own compass, set your own pace, and have faith that, at the end of your journey, you will be every bit the person you hoped you could be.
It's human nature to pick at the flaws: Our hair is too short or too long, our nose is too big or too little, our teeth are too crooked or too yellow, or we wish we had a more ideal body—one that rivals that of an athlete or a movie star.
That said, some of us have a tendency to be more critical than others. Some of us see flaws that aren't there—things that we perceive, in our minds, to be visible to others, but that are, in truth, only a reflection of what we feel inside.It's those thoughts that can be the most damaging to our self-worth and overall growth potential.
At some point, you have to come to a crossroads about who you are, and who you can be. None of us are destined for perfection, but no one will fault you for trying to be the best version of you that you can—so, go for it.
However, don't lose perspective in the process. Always remember why you are doing what you're doing.
If your motivation is to fit a goal that you've already realized within yourself, then plug away. There is nothing wrong with self-improvement that's born of positive self-actualization.
On the flip side, if your goal is set based on external factors in your environment, then you could be setting yourself up for failure. There is nothing "real" about the images you see on a billboard or a television screen. A lot of people, trainers, and money are behind the pretty pictures you see, and setting your goal based solely those images is akin to setting out on a dark path—minus a working flashlight, a map, or a clear sense of direction—you might get there, at some point, but your emotional and psychological compass will be battered and bruised a great deal along the way.
Don't let your journey towards self-actualization be set using a worldly compass, develop your own compass, set your own pace, and have faith that, at the end of your journey, you will be every bit the person you hoped you could be.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Day 12: Staying Motivated...
It's a tough thing to do. No matter what your goal, exercising, eating right, finishing a project, reading a book, etc., it's tough to keep your mind settled and focused long enough to maintain the level of progress that you feel is necessary to say you are a success.
Some will say the trick is to set small goals each day and concentrate on meeting that one goal—that way you aren't overwhelmed by the enormity of it all.
The problem with that is, some of us are so intertwined in the day-to-day task of just being ourselves (as parents, as caretakers, as employees, etc.) that we fall short of even the small goals we endeavor to set. When that happens, we feel even more discouraged, making it easier to give up and abandon the idea of success altogether.
In my humble opinion, the trick isn't in setting a small goal that you can meet, but in remembering that if you don't meet your goal for that day, tomorrow presents a new opportunity for doing so.
Don't beat yourself up over what you haven't done, take pride in what you do manage to accomplish and give it another go tomorrow.
Does this work in all situations, of course not, but the idea is to keep your mind settled on remaining positive and recognizing your progress (no matter how big or small it turns out to be)—the rest will fall into place as your life makes room for it.
Some will say the trick is to set small goals each day and concentrate on meeting that one goal—that way you aren't overwhelmed by the enormity of it all.
The problem with that is, some of us are so intertwined in the day-to-day task of just being ourselves (as parents, as caretakers, as employees, etc.) that we fall short of even the small goals we endeavor to set. When that happens, we feel even more discouraged, making it easier to give up and abandon the idea of success altogether.
In my humble opinion, the trick isn't in setting a small goal that you can meet, but in remembering that if you don't meet your goal for that day, tomorrow presents a new opportunity for doing so.
Don't beat yourself up over what you haven't done, take pride in what you do manage to accomplish and give it another go tomorrow.
Does this work in all situations, of course not, but the idea is to keep your mind settled on remaining positive and recognizing your progress (no matter how big or small it turns out to be)—the rest will fall into place as your life makes room for it.
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