Expert: Jacky Tustain - 5/28/2009

Question
For the most part, I consider myself an optimistic person, but there are definitely times in which it is hard to stay motivated in many aspects of my life--a prominent one being in the health/fitness department. Do you have any pointers in regards to increasing motivation and self-control? I'm tired of having one great day followed by 3 average to low days, only to go through the same cycle over and over again.

Answer
Hi Nicole,

Motivation can be very elusive for things we don't want to do. The trick is understanding how motivation works and learning to apply the techniques to your life.

As humans we are driven (or motivated) either towards a reward or away from a threat.

The other thing we do is talk to ourselves with an inner voice which has a very powerful affect on our behaviour, either positively or negatively.

To help find the motivation to do anything you need to find out what your real motivators are and in which direction you tend to prefer to be driven.

Then you need to focus your inner voice to build this up as appropriate.

So, to become more motivated there are several steps you can follow.

1. Work out what your motivators are and big them up in your mind. If fear works for you work on the what are the most frightening consequences of your actions for you. If reward is your thing then use the idea of what you will gain from good health/exercise. Use your senses to really visualise these potential outcomes.

2. Set yourself SMART goals to work towards. Write them down and commit yourself to them because you want to.

3. Make these your choice - not the inner voice nagging you to do it because you should. You are responsible for what you do. If you decide not to do something that is OK too. Accept your decision and choices along with the potential consequences.

If you work through these steps you should find it easier to be more motivated. You can read more information on motivation or goal setting on my website http://www.becandolifecoaching.com

I hope that helps.

Jacky