Making Motivation Happen
“Motivation is defined as the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviours. Motivation is what causes us to act, whether it is getting a glass of water to reduce thirst or reading a book to gain knowledge. Anyone who has ever had a goal (like wanting to lose weight or wanting to run a marathon) realises that simply having the desire to accomplish something is not enough. Achieving such a goal requires the ability to persist through obstacles and endurance to keep going in spite of difficulties.” (Cherry, 2016) Motivation comes to us in spurts and when we feel like it. Ultimately, it comes down to discipline. Being motivated to see the the light at the end of the tunnel and then to GO GET IT!
When it comes to your health and well-being, it is likely that you tend to think of the physical preparedness and effects of exercise on your body. We often neglect our mind and mental state. Training our mind is truly something that is becoming more important but remains ever difficult.
Being mentally strong may allow you to overcome obstacles that you may not have been able to do if your mind wasn’t in the right place. What being mentally strong for the individual is different from person to person. Being mentally strong involves an ingrained positive focus that essentially makes positivity second nature. A large part of this is also motivation and having the desire to achieve what you set out to do!
Let’s take going to a Bootcamp Class as an example. You have a goal to lose weight and at the start you are really motivated to eat better and attend classes consistently. For the first couple months you may find that you love the feeling and the results you are seeing. But this can easily lead to you becoming complacent with the results you’ve seen as the longer you go, the harder it gets to lose more weight. Your mental strength and motivation comes into play here and that is responsible for the physical changes you make to your body. We often ask our clients at Define Fitness, “how bad do you want it?” You can verbally answer this but essentially need a good dose of motivation to achieve it!
Thinking about things in a positive way is excellent to boost your motivation. Remaining positive is difficult and your mind will require to be trained to think positively. Focus on thoughts that do not focus on a negative outcome. Positively imagine the outcome you desire! Visualise it and then actualization occurs. Over time, you’ll notice that achieving your goals becomes addictive because you are focusing on the reward and not spending time becoming bogged down by what it’s going to take to get you there. You end up become motivated both intrinsically and then extrinsically. You thrive off the feeling of achieving your goals and off the impact it makes to your world and quality of life.
Remember: “A great project is one that focuses on YOU becoming the best possible version of yourself!” Now get motivated, think positive, and MOVE – FEEL – ACHIEVE.
Nathan Hitchcock (Founder / Director at Define Fitness)
Reference List / Bibliography
Very well. 2016. What Is Motivation? The Psychology of What Motivates Us. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.verywell.com/what-is-motivation-2795378 . [Accessed 12 May 2016].