The Motivation
Motivation is that which explains why people or animals initiate, continue or terminate a certain behavior at a particular time. Motivational states are commonly understood as forces acting within the agent that create a disposition to engage in goal-directed behaviour.
This is a definition coming from a dictionary.
Many people use the word motivation to describe how they feel towards a certain task.
I feel motivated.
I don’t feel motivated.
I have lost my motivation.
Motivation is the initial driving force towards attaining a goal. It is the beginning stimulus that triggers a response.
Motivation is the reason you joined a gym, or started a diet or went to a personal
Trainer or joined a fitness group or started a challenge.
The problem with motivation is that it won’t last. Motivation has to lead into other factors to continue to move forward.
The large majority of people who go to motivational seminars and weekends rarely ever do much more after the motivational seminar ends.
It’s because the motivation needs continual fuel to drive it forward.
You will need to give some substance to your motivation. Being motivated to lose weight is great. But how much weight and over what time.
The Goal
What is your goal as a number. Lose 20kg of fat, get down to size 10, get to a pre-pregnancy weight or pre-marriage weight.
When you make a goal it’s ideal to set a target and a time.
The goal has to be measurable but also have a sense of urgency.
People need to have a numbers goal and target time. The date is just as important as the goal. Most importantly, you have to make sure that time is not to long.
It’s also important that you break large goals into smaller goals. These are the steps towards the overall goal.
If you know that you can’t commit for long periods. Make small goals and then make smaller breaks in between goals.
Then start the next step in the push towards the overall goal.
The plan
The next step beyond motivation and goal setting is to have a plan. The plan takes the goal and creates the process to achieving the goal.
Now we have taken the motivation and turned it Into a goals and now we have a plan. This is what’s going to make that goal happen. It’s the steps to the goal.
Too many people make complicated plans when really it doesn’t have to be complicated. But it does need to have adherence.
If you make a plan to lose 20kg and plan to go to the gym every day for 2 hours and follow a super strict diet that a celebrity said they used to lose weight.
Your going to be disappointed. Although maybe you are the 1% that may follow a complicated plan to the letter.
If you know that you need a smaller commitment to start with and you want exercise to be part of your life but not your whole life. Don’t jump into a huge commitment.
Make the plan simple and make the plan something that you can stick to and follow for a reasonable period of time.
Make a simple achievable plan.
The Commitment
The appropriateness of the plan will make the goal more achievable.
Easier to commit.
If you have to commit to 3 days of training per week and a simple diet plan that works in with your lifestyle then you will be more likely to commit.
Make the commitment small and make sure that the Commitment sits within your daily planner. If you have your exercise sessions in your diary or planner with specified times and days, you will commit better.
The Measurements
The important part that shows that your heading in the right direction. If you goal is to lose 20kg and in the first month you lost 2kg.
Great.
That’s great because you now have only 18kg more to go.
If you didn’t lose any weight in the first month then you need to adjust your plan.
The adjustment.
How you adjust your plan depends on many factors that we won’t go into right now but the point of measuring is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a plan and how well you followed the plan.
Did you follow the plan. Were you committed?
Is the plan appropriate or does it need adjustments
If you need to make adjustments then make them small.
Eat a little less.
Adjust the training plan a little bit.
Conclusion
You need more than just motivation.
You need to turn the motivation into a goal.
You need to create a simple plan.
You need to commit to that plan.
You need to measure results.
You may need to adjust the plan.
Motivation, goal, plan, commitment, measure and adjust.
Results follow results.
Confidence comes from achieving results.
Commitment continues when results are achieved.
Commitment continues when goals are set and plans are made.
Never short circuit the process.
Motivation, goal, plan, commit, measure and adjust.
If any of these are missing you are not likely to achieve much at all.
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