Here are two different scenarios: one motivated by fear and the second by hope.
FEAR. Mary came to Mama Bootcamp being on edge of full blown TYPE II diabetes. Her blood sugar was dangerously high. In addition, Mary was starting to have heart palpitations. Her mother had died of heart attack at the young age of 44 and Mary was turning 44 in the next month. She was very worried about the tolls her unhealthy lifestyle of stress, binge eating, and lack of exercise was taking on her body. Mary had heard about Mama Bootcamp for her co-worker, Kathy. Mary decided to go try a class on a free pass with Kathy after work one day. She was motivated by her fear of not wanting to repeat the health history of her mother.
HOPE. Susie had seen her best friend, Tina, join Mama Bootcamp. In a matter of a few months, Tina lost 24 pounds, dropped three pant sizes, and started training for a triathlon. Susie thought if Tina could do it, why couldn’t she? She was motivated by hope for the future and thinking of the possibili- ties! Maybe she could train for a race and fall in love with exercise like her friend Tina!
These are both true stories and very real. Both Mamas were very motivated when they came to Mama Bootcamp! One was motivated by fear and the other by hope. Both very powerful motivators!
TIPS TO KEEP YOUR MOJO MOTIVATION ON HIGH
- Remind yourself of your goals by tracking your progress.
- Use your doctor’s report as a baseline and schedule another appointment with him/her in six weeks.
- Post pictures of a scheduled event or location. Keep the invitation in a spot where you are reminded of “why?” you are working so hard. Hang the clothes you will be wearing at the event in plain site.
- Reward yourself for meeting your weekly check points. Check points are “in between” goals (also known as short term goals). Rewards, as you heard in Challenge #5, are very important for permanent change!
- Give yourself a break! Yes, you heard me right! Give yourself a few days off so you don’t burn out. You want to keep your spirits and energy high! One of the best ways to do this is a planned break. You will come back motivated and ready to go! Make sure the break is not more than four days.
- Watch and read motivational stories or speeches. This will keep adding fuel to your fire! Inspiration is contagious so use it to your advantage by watching YouTube videos, reading stories that inspire you, and make sure you are sharing your goals with those that will cheer you on along the way.
- Eliminate distractions and time wasters. Limit yourself on Facebook, surfing the internet, or watching hours of television. Down time to “free” think is not a bad thing but give yourself time limits weekly, and then stick to them.
- “Fake it until you make it” is a cliché for a reason, because it works! Some days, you will not feel like working on your goals. Stay on task and do it any way. If after 30 minutes, you still are not feeling it, you still accomplished 30 minutes towards your goal!
- Surround yourself with people who are excited about life. Have you ever heard the saying “one bad apple, spoils the whole bunch?” Well, it is true! The same goes with people who are motivated, inspired, and enjoying life! Life is meant to be fun! Surround yourself with people who have similar values and energy.
ACTION PLAN NO. 14
In order to move forward, I want you to think about what motivates you. And then write it down to keep you moving!
Do you have an event you want to look your best for coming up? A wedding? Reunion? Vacation? Or did your doctor give you a serious warning or someone you care about have a life threatening event?
This year is all about “finding your mojo” and this challenge is so important to help you stay on track! Check in with what motivates you and go for it! Life can be exciting and full of adventure! But it won’t feel that way if you are living life from the couch.
