Nobody is born motivated, nor is it a personal characteristic that we adopt over the years. The fact of being motivated gives us a feeling of well-being and tranquility. Motivation can differ between one person and another. This occurs because the personal situation that we are going through is different for everyone.
Motivating ourselves is a simple task that we cannot achieve because we are affected by an environment that does not help. Creating an environment in which we are able to achieve the goals set or those ideal for each situation, carrying it out with effort and empathy will be our primary objective in order to achieve this state that we mentioned before.
Back in the year 1650, Blaise Pascal confirmed that. “Generally, people are more convinced by the reasons they discover themselves than by the ones the others explain to them”.
Everyone knows the people that abandon challenges (such as following a diet, quitting smoking or beginning to exercise) shortly after starting them. This is especially true when talking about medium and large projects. And the reason for that is nothing more than not having been able to find one’s motivation.
If we focus on the matter of starting a diet to lose weight, it is essential to find the motives that give us the strength to achieve the necessary change in habits, and to be able to maintain this change for a long time (many times throughout life).
What to do and how to get motivation? Here we have the key for you:
- Do not pay attention to the motives of others or the reasons for the changes proposed by professionals. You have to find your own motivations for whichever change you decide.
- Write your motives on a sheet and read it several times a day out loud. The fact of hearing ourselves explaining the reasons for the change makes it much more effective to reinforce our motivation.
- Mark small goals that you’re achieving (for example, weekly), in place of a big, long-term goal. This will give you small doses of satisfaction that will keep your motivation alive to maintain the change.
- When you meet the objectives, give yourself a treat (other than food). Buy a book, go to the hairdresser or go for a walk on the beach.
- Al of the world has unforeseen circumstances or moments of weakness. If you skip the diet, do not harshly criticize yourself. Assume it is a step in the process of change, and continue with the established plan.
- Look for allies among nearby people. If you get your partner, children or friends also starting a challenge will make it easier to maintain the motivation to get the change. It does not have to be the same goal, if you start a diet and your friends decide to stop smoking, you can also reinforce the changes between you.
In conclusion, it is never late to choose to be in charge of your life. Being a proactive person will help us achieve the objectives and tackle the problems with solutions to turn them into opportunities.
*Content validated by the medical team of mediQuo.
