It’s the beginning of the new year and energy is HIGH! People are ready to recommit to good habits, let go of what’s no longer serving them, and create transformations that allow them to show up as the BEST version of themselves.
The reality is you can only ride this new year’s energy for so long before it starts to dwindle and you lose motivation. This is why only about 7% of new year’s resolutions are actually successful.
People believe they don’t reach their weight loss, fitness, or any goal because they aren’t motivated to do it.
It usually sounds something like this…
“I don’t have the motivation to get out of bed to go workout.”
“I don’t have the motivation to do virtual workouts.”
“I don’t have the motivation at the end of a long day to workout.”
“I don’t have the motivation to make dinner.”
“I don’t have the motivation to reach out to 5 new people about what I am doing.”
“I don’t have the motivation to read 10 pages in a personal development book.”
And, every other variation of “I don’t have the motivation.”
But, MOTIVATION isn’t the issue. You don’t just have motivation because you say you want to do something. Motivation isn’t something that you find.
Motivation is something YOU create.
So, the million-dollar question then is, “How do you create motivation?”
Well, sometimes people get motivated when a “life-changing” event occurs…
- The doctor says you better change your lifestyle or else…
- A friend the same age as you dies “too young” of a heart attack
- Divorce – “getting back out there”
But, what do you do when there’s no apparent reason or kick in the pants to get started other than you wanting to make a change? Then what…
You START. And when you start you create momentum. Because MOMENTUM is more important than motivation and it is the best way to create and keep ongoing MOTIVATION.
Why? Because MOMENTUM keeps you in action which leads to positive feelings and results and that is what keeps you MOTIVATED.
What is Momentum?
Momentum means in motion or in other words, in action! Momentum is taking action towards your goals and the person you want to be.
Momentum looks like this…
- Working out 3 days per week.
- Prepping your meals on Sunday.
- Establishing a nighttime routine that gets you to bed by 10pm.
- Writing down 3 things you are grateful for each day.
- Eat vegetables with lunch & dinner.
- Reading for 20 minutes a day.
Sometimes you take big actions and other times you will take small actions, the MOST IMPORTANT thing is to stay in motion and continue to take action…KEEP YOUR MOMENTUM!
How Do You Keep Your Momentum Going?
Momentum is usually easy at the beginning. That time frame can be 3 days, a week, 3 weeks, or even a month. It could even be longer. You can think of a time when it was easy for you to take action towards a specific goal.
So what do you do to keep your momentum going versus losing it altogether?
First, recognize when you feel your momentum slowing down and become aware of why this might be happening.
- Did you take on too much?
- Are your expectations unrealistic and you are feeling frustrated?
- Are you in suffering about what you are doing?
- Is stress negatively impacting you?
- Do your actions need to shift or change?
When you find that your momentum is slowing down or even non-existent…you create momentum by picking 1 small action to do each day and DO IT! Just 1 thing can keep your momentum and will likely lead to creating and taking even bigger action.
When I say small, I really mean small. If I asked you on a scale of 1-10 (1=not at all, 10=100% confident) how likely you are to be able to keep this promise to yourself your answer needs to be at least an 8 or the action isn’t small enough.
Here are some examples:
- Drink 20 more ounces of water than I normally do.
- Walk for 10 minutes outside.
- Do a 10 minute workout.
- Read 10 pages in a personal development book.
- Meditate for 3 minutes.
- Eat 1 serving of vegetables.
- Go to bed 15 minutes earlier.
- Reach out to 1 new person about my business.
The reason why most people lose their momentum and therefore their motivation is because they take on more than is actually realistic. Or they believe that small actions don’t do anything so they instead take no action.
Any transformation whether it is in your physical health, your business, your relationships, your habits, etc takes consistency over time. You have to be in it for the long haul and that requires daily action and momentum in moving you towards the direction you want to go.
Momentum in the Wrong Direction
If you find yourself unmotivated to workout (or eat supportively or go to bed earlier or read or save or anything else that you say you want to do better at) take a good look at the direction of your momentum…
Which way is it leading you?
Sit on the couch watching Netflix for a couple of days and you’ll find yourself not wanting to do anything else. You created momentum, it was just in the wrong direction.
That momentum gets even more powerful each day until you are “motivated” to not take action in the direction of your goals and what you want to create.
If your momentum is carrying you in the wrong direction the only thing you can do is TAKE ACTION in the right direction…
One step at a time. One day at a time.
String together a series of wins and you’ll have all the MOTIVATION you need…thanks to MOMENTUM.
People revert back to old habits, old patterns of thought, and lose their results because they lose their momentum, not their motivation. Simply put they stop taking action in the direction of their goals and the person they want to be.
In Health & Happiness,
Janell
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