There are two sides to motivation. Neither of which are going to make you successful long
term....
Side #1: Motivation is defined as the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.
Think, “fired up!” Ready to “get on it.”
That’s the pumped up side of motivation; the side that generally fizzles away at some point… Just look at the attendance at your gym right now vs. just a few weeks ago before January.
Side #2:
Motivation is defined as the reason or reasons a person has for acting or behaving in a particular way.
Think of this as your “why?”
I like my clients to have a good "why?" such as “I want to be a good example for my children”
This motivation is much more powerful than, “I want to look good in my jeans” (easy to put off and get serious next week...) or “I want to have a six pack” (short
lived results, no real life-changing reason to make a transformation).
However, even a GREAT “WHY?” isn’t enough…
What do you need to be successful in the short AND long term?
>>> SYSTEMS <<<
Here’s the reality - despite your best efforts, your subconscious mind always wins...
Your subconscious is essentially controlled
automatically by your paradigms and your self-image...
And they are deeply rooted long term from YEARS of ideas/thoughts/experiences…
OK. Now, back to SYSTEMS.
You need to put systems in place to protect yourself from...yourself.
Yes, from yourself.
Your brain is wired up for self sabotage at pretty much every chance it gets when things start to get
uncomfortable (e.g. being on a diet). It’s an ability we've all got - the ability to rationalise any behaviour or decision, and justify inaction or self-sabotage. For example, I'm sure at one stage or another, you've thought:
- Calories on holiday don’t count
- That was a tough training session earlier, I'm going to get a takeaway tonight because I earned it.
- Last night was a rough one. This week is a write off now, I'll
start again on Monday.
So you might be motivated to get in shape right now. Motivation, however, is that pain in the backside friend that cancels on you at the last minute via text. You think it's there for you, but it is actually incredibly unreliable.
With all this said, what sort of systems do you need to put in place to be successful with your fat loss journey?
Here’s some you can start
with:
- Have a reliable training partner. Better yet, join a program. Known as having "skin in the game", paying for something is often the only way people will actually show up consistently.
- Put your training sessions in your diary the same way you would any other appointment that you can’t miss.
- Pack your gym bag and put it by the door the night before.
- If you workout early in the morning, put your alarm across the room so you have to get out of
bed.
- If you eat out a lot, know where you can grab a diet friendly meal so you don't get caught out.
If you want LONG TERM results, you need to put systems in place to prevent you from falling into old habits. Good systems will actually create new habits that you like even better…
Much Love
JB