You’re ambitious and tend to set high standards, including your health goals. So you lock your forward-facing nostrils to a big dream and start with so much motivation you don’t know what to do with it.
But when the journey is long, and progress seems slow, it’s easy to question whether the effort is worth the potential long-term gain.
And so, you’ll find your motivation living in the dumpster of dumpsters.
Your brain is wired to seek immediate rewards. When the gratification is delayed, as it always is with health goals, it can feel like you’re putting in a lot of effort for a reward that seems far off and uncertain.
So, how do you dig the motivation out of the dumpster of dumpsters?
Break big goals into smaller, more manageable ones. Smaller goals are more immediate and less daunting. And as you achieve them, you’re more likely to scratch that instant gratification itch.
Achieving smaller, more frequent goals gives you a sense of progress and success, injecting you with motivation to keep going. Instead of trying to jump The Channel, you’re placing small pontoons along the way.
When your big goal is to reclaim your energy and strength, your smaller goals could be to do a 30-minute workout three times a week, get to bed 30 minutes earlier or eat a carrot every time you say “um”.
Pick one and start scratching.
-J