Get Motivated!
How to get yourself moving again with tiny steps when you feel “stuck”
“Most big transformations come about from hundreds of tiny, almost imperceptible, steps we took along the way.”
Lori Gottlieb
Do you know you want to make changes in your life but have difficulty getting yourself moving toward change? Or, maybe you’re able to get started, only to quickly become discouraged by all the seemingly big steps in front of you and then start settling back into your old, unproductive ways.
You’re not alone. We often have great enthusiasm at the start of any new project or goal, but staying motivated is one of the biggest challenges we face on the road to making changes in our lives.
What can you do to stay motivated on your journey toward living your best life?
Motivation is absolutely essential if you want to be successful in meeting your goals, whether it’s to lose weight, start a new career, write a book, or any other worthwhile thing you could do in the world.
The first thing I recommend you do is spend time being curious about your lack of motivation. Why do you think you feel so “meh” and unmotivated? What’s going on in your life and in your mind? Examine your thoughts through meditation and journaling. Let yourself feel all the feelings. Allow yourself to feel this way.
Once you’ve spent some time in curiosity and contemplation, there are many suggestions for increasing the likelihood that you’ll stay motivated and moving forward on your path, and here are some of the ones that I’ve found to be the most successful.
Know your “why”. This is perhaps the most important motivator. Why have you set this goal? What’s so important about it? Really dig deep to get to the real reason you want to meet your goal. Maybe you want to lose weight and you’ve told yourself the reason why is to improve your health. That’s a great reason why, except that it’s often (unfortunately) not enough. Keep exploring - why do you want to be healthy? Be specific. Getting to the very root of your why will help you to stay on track.
Engage in regular (daily!) self-care. Feeling better about yourself will always help you to stay motivated. Focus on getting enough sleep, eating well, and taking time for the things that matter to you. What are your daily habits? Are they aligned with who you want to be and how you want to feel?
Make the 3 daily M’s (movement, meditation, and mindful writing) a priority in your life. This goes with #2 above. Move your body, take time to be still, and get out your journal and engage in self-reflection. When you’re caring for and constantly checking in with yourself it will help a great deal with staying focused and motivated.
Learn something new. Take a course, learn a new skill, or start a hobby. When your mind is stimulated you’ll feel happier and more engaged in your world. Learning does wonders for increasing your desire to keep growing.
Surround yourself with positive people who support you. Nothing is more unmotivating than being around people who tend to be negative and seem intent on making sure that nothing changes. Find like-minded people who understand what you’re trying to do and support your journey and notice the difference in energy you feel.
Take turtle steps towards your goal. Once you’ve started to get going and feel your motivation falling into place, a way to keep the momentum going is to take tiny, manageable steps toward your goals. My mentor, Martha Beck, calls these “turtle steps”. What teeny, tiny turtle steps can you take to keep yourself motivated and on track towards meeting your goals? Make these steps ridiculously easy and no-brainers and in no time you’ll be well on your way.
I love this quote by Zig Ziglar: “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing - that’s why we recommend it daily.” Staying motivated requires you to show up for yourself every day.
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I’d love to hear from you so please send any comments or questions to me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com. Feel free to share this email with anyone else who may be interested.
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"I felt at complete ease with Sharon from our first conversation. She has a wonderful, gentle but firm way that made me focus on my thoughts / feelings so I could remove / change to move forward with a completely different feeling to what felt like obstacles. It was great having regular coaching that gently kept me accountable to actioning and moving towards my goals. Sharon has vast experience in so many areas, I felt that makes her an amazing coach.”
— Michelle Carney, East Galway, Ireland
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