 "Photo: MCT Campus")
Only a brief time has passed since millions of Americans have made the ritualistic New Year’s resolution in hopes of improving their quality of life. Gym memberships will skyrocket, many will vow to pay off credit card debt, and more people will be hiding a nicotine patch under shirtsleeves.
Sadly, the odds are against the majority and most of these people will not accomplish what they set out to do. We have all seen what happens with most of the claims made on New Year’s Day; they fizzle out like the fireworks in Time Square. However, you are not the majority and you will accomplish what you intend to do if you follow the advice I will give you in this article.
First, let us look at what happens to a great deal of people when they first make a new year’s resolution: They get excited, they are focused on the task at hand, and they have motivation. These are the ingredients for success. But then what happens shortly after? The excitement dies down, the focus is lost, and whatever motivation they had is thrown away like your crazy Aunt’s fruitcake.
The thing to understand in this situation is the drastic change of thinking between when the resolution was created to the point when the plan is scrapped. In the beginning, the excitement comes from a vision of the future with no regard to present state.
Let us say Jane wants to lose 30 lbs by the end of 2010 and she has it all planned out from her workout routine to her change in dieting habits. She is focusing on what she needs to do while working hard and making progress. One week she becomes swamped at work, to save time she eats fast and unhealthy, and skips out on her visits to the gym. Later in the week Jane looks at herself in the mirror and becomes depressed with her body and her self. The seed is planted.
At the exact moment Jane criticizes herself in the mirror, her mental process has just made a complete 360. She went from focusing on the future, to the unhappy thoughts of being trapped in a body that does not make her feel good.
When Jane looks at herself in the mirror, her mind is filled with negativity and self-criticism. Jane has given up. The depression increases her need to eat comfort foods and she goes from being on the path from getting in great shape and healthy to putting on additional weight and additional health risks.
This scenario sounds awful, but this happens to thousands of people all the time and will surely happen to many men and women who are trying to better themselves in 2010.
I am using this example for the simple fact that it is simple to illustrate since obesity is a serious issue in our country. An important thing to note is that my advice can be applied to any goals, both of the physical and mental nature.
When on your quest to tackle your new goals, it is vital that you become excited about them. This is often easier said than done once the going gets tough, but you know what they say about the tough (and you are tough).
While it is true that you need to be excited, but this does not mean you are going to be ecstatic to put in the work every single day of the week. If this were always the case, then what you have is a hobby!
One thing that has always helped me is to look for inspiration wherever I can get it. Inspiration breeds motivation and vice versa. Anyone who knows me personally will tell you that I keep things that inspire me absolutely everywhere in my apartment.
I have pictures of my team and favorite people, usually something inspirational on my desktop background, and nine times out of 10 I will have some phrase I read or created printed and taped on my door to be seen each time I walk out of my room to go into the world. Currently, my door reads, “Yesterday Means Nothing,” because if we stop and think, today is the only day you have control over.
I am constantly reading books that inspire me and listening to music that I feel sends good energy. Many people tell me they have trouble finding inspiration and you may be in the same boat.
Inspiration most certainly does not have to come from a famous person, in fact it does not have to come from a person at all. Try to find something that is amazing and beautiful to you and embrace it. Use this to get excited about your life and your goals and you will unlock the key to motivation.
Inspiration is vital, but without focus you will just be spinning your tires in the mud. Decide what you want to be and how you are going to achieve it. Then focus on the future, create this image of yourself in your mind and walk through the world with this image; not an image that makes you unhappy. Focus on the gains you have made and reward yourself for them.
Always, acknowledge a gain no matter how small you think it is. Personally, I have struggled with beating myself up regularly and forgetting to see the gigantic leaps I have made in my life. When I neglected to acknowledge my accomplishments I placed myself in a dark emotional abyss; not a fun place to be.
As a former distance athlete at this university, my life once revolved around a sport where one endures pain every single day of the week. People would constantly say to me, “I sure wish running was fun for me like it is for you,” or “how do you stay motivated all the time?”
The truth is, while I love running with all my heart, I was not always running through the trails each day with a big smile on my face or jumping for joy when my mileage plan said I had over 100 miles to run this week. I try to make things as fun as possible (which it often is), but work is not always fun and we must accept that.
It is important to acknowledge that sometimes inspiration runs out temporarily and sometimes the motivation has to be the simple fact that it is something you need to do.
Don’t think about it, don’t question it, just get out the door and do what you need to do. It’s not always going to be fun but the rewards of your accomplishments will always outweigh the hardships, or as a friend of mine use to say, “the juice is worth the squeeze.”
I wish everyone prosperity and the strength to chase their dreams in 2010. Remember, it is never too late to be who you want to be. When will you start?
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