HOW DO I STAY MOTIVATED ALL THE TIME?
The answer might surprise you…..
My big passion outside of helping other people to get in shape (and probably the thing that keeps me sane!) is challenging my own body to be ready for any challenge I want to take on.
Over the last 9 months I have taken on a new sport, triathlon.
I have set myself the target of making the world championships in this event for 2014.
****Anything less doesn’t excite me enough to keep me on track! ****
One thing I know that kept me on track during the winter when the going GOT tough, was visualising this feeling below and that feeling of accomplishment when I was to get there.
Training to achieve this, and in fact even to simply cross the finish line, required a lot of commitment, a lot of time, and a fair bit of sacrifice along the way too.
But then often the good things do require a bit of that, whether it be relationships ??
Why am I saying this?
Well, because one of the questions I get asked a LOT is this:
‘How do you stay motivated all of the time?’.
So I figured I’d answer that. My answer, if you know me, or maybe even if you don’t, will probably surprise you.
I often think that when people speak to me, and ask me about what I do in terms of my work and my own training, that they kind of think that I am some freak of nature who stays motivated non stop, never falters, and always stays at 100% effort, and who always loves to get out of bed at 6am on the weekend to train before Jo wakes up and then she calls me to find out where I am and I am on the way to butchers to get breakfast!
Well, hopefully this will set the record straight, tell you that yes, I AM human, and help let you know that is it actually OK to NOT stay motivated the WHOLE time, while also giving you some ideas to stay on track too.
You see, the simple answer to the above question is this . . . I don’t.
In fact, NO ONE does.
If they tell you they do then they are lying!
Not me, not you, not Olympic athletes, NO ONE stays motivated and on top form 100% of the time. It’s just not possible.
Yes I stay on track maybe 90-95% of the time and keep my head in the game, but the truth is . . .
We ALL have days when we’d rather do something else.
We ALL have times when life gets in the way and something else needs to take priority.
We ALL go through times when we need a break.
We ALL have days when we just . . . can’t be arsed.
You know what though? Contrary to what people may lead you to believe –
It’s cool. It’s fine. It’s NATURAL.
BUT . . .
Staying in control, and on your path to success is all about staying as firmly on track as you can. Sure, if you were to stay 100% motivated and on track all of the time, you’d get from A-B in the shortest possible time. For a long term goal at least however, it’s highly unlikely that your path will be totally straight.
Likely, you’ll have the odd diversion, a little bend here and there, and that’s fine. So long as you keep moving along as directly as possible, then you’ll get there soon enough. There will be challenges that crop up, but the key is to keep moving toward that finish line, overcoming whatever you need to.
The real problems, and subsequent not getting of what you want, will arise when you have BIG diversions that lead you off on a totally different path, or full on road blocks that stand in your way, or you just decide to sack it off completely and chuck a U-turn (you’ll know what things in your life with have this effect on you).
So look, while I can’t make sure you stay 100% focused all the time, I CAN give you some advice as to some things I do myself in order to remain on course to hitting my targets. These will relate to you as well, so hopefully will be of some use. These are not just applicable to your fitness and health goals but also your hobbies, your business or career and just about anything you care about.
1) Accept that losing motivation is normal….Look for inspiration
There I said it. It WILL happen. It’s bound to.
IF you know that it’s going to happen, you can kind of plan for it. So take it on the chin, but know what you need to do in order to get back on track, then most importantly – do it. If fat loss is your goal, and you’re following a nutrition/workout plan, remember that you are always just ONE meal and ONE workout away from being back on the wagon.
Don’t ‘leave it til Monday’, or have the attitude of ‘I started the day with a rubbish meal so I just as well have a crap diet all day and start tomorrow’.
I actually got one client recently to start on a Tuesday…..just to break this whole monday thing.
Remember inspiration comes from within……. motivation tends to be from outside influences which can be cool , but often they don’t get to the root of the NEED to achieve!
2) Embrace the crap times
As I’ve said, we all have these. For me, periods of bad weather are a real drain…. Mainly because it drains those around you… BUT we can’t honestly afford to spend time being reactive to such things as the weather. Much like those workouts that you don’t quite feel up for..
I too feel like that from time to time BUT because I know that it’s getting me closer to what I want I get it done.
If something crops up that makes your mission harder, embrace it, figure out how to get round/over it, and crack on.
Refuse to let the crap times get in the way of your success.
3) Plan plan plan
Time management is key. At the start of every week, I’ll physically write into my diary every single training session I need to do.
Some times they have to change, you just work around it its not to be stressed over!
That way it’s in there, and I can plan around it. I’ll also plan out my meals so that I can stay on top of nutrition.
This is a real key to success, so get a pen and your diary out, and get planning.
You’re MUCH more likely to get it done if it’s diarised.
A few of my clients tell me that they print off the meal planners that I give them and stick them on their fridge.
It works for them.
4) Focus on the process, not just the result
In particular if you’ve set yourself a long term goal, being aware of, and embracing the process that will get you to achieve it is as important than the end result itself.
How will your life change on the way?
How much healthier will you be getting as a result?
How many new people will you meet?
How much happier will you be?
The process is so important, so be sure to focus on that, not just the end result. Again not only related to exercise and health but also applicable to your other goals.
For instance I love travel and two years ago, Jo and I completed the trek to Machu Picchu, now the walking itself wasn’t that difficult, the altitude was, but each weekend before we went for 12 weeks, we went walking.
This was amazing, as we visited coast lines and trails we would not have done. This made the process enjoyable, whilst knowing that we were putting ourselves in a good place to not only complete the walk but to enjoy it , and that we did.
5) Remember WHY you want it
Massively important. WHY do you want to achieve whatever it is? Knowing the reasons why you want to achieve something should be plenty to see you through. Remind yourself about your WHY factor every single day.
If you don’t know exactly what you want, that’s not a problem, but you need to find out WHY you are doing what you are doing. Know what makes you happy is always a great start.
So your task is to send me 10-20 things that make you smile. Why? Because I will know that the people who do this are likely to be able to stay on track when things get tough.
So don’t delay, do it NOW and send it straight back via the email address below.
So look, while not rocket science, not complicated, and certainly not a scholarly article, hopefully the above 5 points will help you to keep on track and keeping your path as direct as possible.
To your success,
Matt
p.s. If you want to join a winning team, if you are not already part of it then I have just 5 spaces left on my next Blast Fitness camp in Launceston.
Check it out below
http://blastfitnesscamps.co.uk/launceston-sign-up-here/
