I’m starting a new series of posts here on my blog: I want to talk about motivation and what helps us to feel motivated. I think it’s an important thing to discuss, and I also think that a lot of people conflate “motivation” with “inspiration.”
What helps get me moving:
One of the things that gets me moving is seeing previous successes start to add up. For example, I am working on losing weight. When I track my food and my exercise and see the results adding up with the loss of pounds, that helps to keep me motivated and moving forward.
Tracking progress is important. Even if you’re having successes, if you’re not tracking how these add up, you’re missing out on a key push factor for having future successes. I always find that when I am good about tracking my various accomplishments, it helps push me forward to further accomplishments.
What could you start tracking so that you can move forward in your goals?
How to track progress:
First, you have to decide what “progress” looks like for your particular goals. For the weight-loss example, it’s clear: Moving toward that goal weight.
Then, you need to figure out what you will track. Will you simply track the amount of weight lost? Will you track calories and exercise minutes?
Finally, you need to find a system that works for you: a spreadsheet, database, app, etc. I use MyFitnessPal to track calories, exercise, weight, and body measurements.
So, what gets you moving?
What are the things that help you get and stay motivated? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
