Staying Inspired
Staying inspired on a life-long journey can seem like a daunting task. When we start thinking “forever” we can get overwhelmed pretty quickly. But, what is motivation? What influences it? How do we “get” it? How do we increase it?
Motivation is the driving force behind human action. There are internal and external biological, physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and cultural factors that influence behavior. External motivators often come in the form of money, trophies, recognition, or praise. Internal motivators come from within and can look like personal gratification for solving a problem or overcoming something difficult.
Some psychologists believe we are motivated by biological instincts that are important for survival (fear, cleanliness, love). Drive Theory suggests many of our behaviors such as eating, drinking, and sleeping are motivated by biology. We have a biological need for food, water, and sleep. Therefore, you are motivated to eat, drink, and sleep. The arousal theory of motivation suggests we engage in activities that maintain our “optimal level of arousal”. For example, a person with a low arousal need may read a book but someone with a high arousal need may seek an adrenaline driving activity. I suspect it is a combination of these theories and more!
Motivation is NOT everlasting. It will fluctuate based on many factors and will require you to lean into persistence and intensity skills. In other words, if you are feeling low on motivation you can adjust your goals to focus on what really matters to you (I love using vision boards for this!), break your goal up into smaller chunks, or increase your confidence by making improvements in the areas you are feeling less secure.
We can also do things like assessing the costs and benefits of our new lives. Take a sheet of paper and create two (2) columns labeled Benefits or Gains of New Lifestyle. Label the second column Losses because of New Lifestyle. Keep this with you and add to it as you feel necessary.
Finding and spending time with inspiring people can increase our motivation. There is nothing more motivating than success stories! Hearing how someone else tackled hardships and came out the other side proves that success is within reach. Food Junkies Podcast is a great place to hear people’s stories! My favorite so far is Kathryn’s story. Be sure to give it a listen HERE if you haven’t already!
Finding motivational phrases, quotes, books, podcast episodes, or songs can be helpful! The next time you are feeling down and need a quick boost - take a quick listen or read to encourage you to keep making decisions that get you closer to what you want. One of my favorite motivational quotes comes from Star Wars, “Don’t center on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs.” “Always remember, your focus determines your reality.” – Qui-Gon Jinn
Tapping into support from our family members, our “WE” groups, and professionals can boost our motivation. We can also find people who are living the lives or achieving the goals we want and do what they do. We can follow inspiring and motivational social media accounts and remove any accounts that make us feel bad about ourselves or our journey. We only have so much time and energy - let’s give it wisely!
Finally, it is important to celebrate the behaviors you want MORE of. Schedule yourself a massage, have an energy healing session, get yourself a tasty tea flavor and try it iced! Congratulate yourself for sticking with a plan even when things got hard. Rewiring your brain takes time and patience. We get there faster with positive reinforcement.
In the end, I like to live my life as if it is all “for science” or “an adventure”. It helps me to stay curious and allows my brain to prefer flexibility in my perceptions. I don’t look for problems, but rather view life’s life-iness as a puzzle to be figured out (except there is no ONE right way). When I feel my “motivation” slipping I re-evaluate, “What do I really want?” - and right now it is to be strong. I want to be able to help load dirt bikes in the truck or lift heavy objects at home without feeling like a burden to my husband. I want to build muscle and work on functional movement so that I don’t struggle later in life. These are my current goals. I won’t always be motivated, so when that happens, I vow to double down on my persistence and intensity. I will stay consistent because motivation will come back around - I want to be ready when it does. Do you?