Most of us need rest and renewal after the hectic pace of holidays. Actually most of the unnecessary stress we bring upon ourselves through beliefs and expectations. Post-holiday is the best time to focus on yourself and make room for what’s next in terms of setting goals.
Here are some motivational tricks to help you stay the course.
We measure our self-worth with practically every challenge, everything we attempt, whether we succeed or fail. To truly change our behavior we must be truthful with ourselves, even about subconscious things. If showing up to the gym requires waking at zero dark thirty, we find another class or a different kind of bodywork that’s a better fit for our lifestyle. Things seem to flow more easily when we’re ready to admit the truth.
Start with showing yourself compassion. The way you would teach your dog new tricks, with small steps, small rewards, and real progress. Listen to your body. If you’re not keeping up with those lofty goals, it means they’re too much of a stretch.
When you claim what you desire, envision how you want to feel, not only how you want the result to look! You then have a more reliable guidance system as you make your way toward your goal. We’ve all heard the adage, “life is a journey, not (only) a destination.” People who are good at achieving their desires focus on the quality of the journey which enhances their success.
Ask yourself, “what do I need to create a more pleasurable experience while on my way to my goal?!” Mind-body workouts like yoga, dance or tai chi can help improve strength, posture, balance and flexibility; giving you a lighter spirit and increased creativity. The bonus is how all that contributes to an overall sense of well-being and productivity. Commit to keeping a daily journal where you are accountable to yourself. Write about your state of mind, bodily sensations, hopes for the day, your fears. Journaling every morning keeps you focused on one small mini-goal you’d like to accomplish today. Conversely, a self-review in your journal at night keeps you on track with an important request to your subconscious mind. Our sleeping brains are wired to refresh, setting us up for new ideas and success.
Be sure to consider your mood, the experience and the quality of feeling you are seeking as the heart of your accomplishment!
Willpower is not the key to positive change, but a positive community is. Refine or upgrade your peer group. Your performance is the average of the five people with whom you spend the most time. Take a closer look at your resolutions and examine whether you have a reliable human support system in place. Consider that socializing, brain training and sexual health can help you achieve the positive spirit to energize your motivation. It takes a village!
Send self-criticism on vacation. Choose a beginning date for replacing a mean thought you have about your body, yourself, with a gentler option. That in fact may be the only motivation you’ll need to stay on track.
Factor in more laughter and see the physiological and psychological benefits that include reduced stress, boosted immunity, and increased joy. Immerse yourself in nature. Reduce distractions - become more mindful of the moment.
If and when you judge yourself as falling short, see these times as opportunities for course corrections, not as failures. How we speak to ourselves, is just as important as how we speak to others whom we love.
With enough small-sized goals, setting intentions and making short and recurring timelines, your body and brain will reward you with solid new habits and a satisfying sense of personal biology and mood. Appreciate the method of successive approximations, what trainers and psychologists call increasingly better attempts as we proceed toward our goals.
Turn your life into a self-competitive game. Break your goals down into 90-day challenges, so that you can REFLECT, REST, EVALUATE while you constantly revise your strategy after every cycle. Instead of berating yourself for an incompletion, compassionately adjust for the realities of life.
What kind of motivation can make reaching the finish line all the more worthwhile? Pleasurable motivation, a quality of motivation that includes good feelings ensures that you will enjoy the journey as much as the destination -- encouraging you to look forward to setting another goal.
One day, you may notice you no longer need to set goals. What happens is that you learned how to live your dreams while remaining fully choiceful. You’ve learned to modify and revise your behavior as you go along. Designing your actions becomes the natural consequence of the way you have learned to love your life!
