MOTIVATION ISN'T ENOUGH
Motivation isn't the key to success.
People mistakenly believe that motivation is the secret ingredient to reaching goals and making long-term lifestyle changes. How many of us have said “I want to lose weight”, for instance, then seek out a fitness and nutrition plan that promises results. We follow it for some period of time and eventually find ourselves feeling defeated and guilt-ridden when we fail to reach that goal or see progress?
There’s a reason that goals like weight loss are difficult. They require a change in our behavior and consistent day-in-day-out effort. We may think that motivation alone is all we need. Sure, we feel motivated when we first start. There’s excitement and focus. It seems easy at first. Then LIFE HAPPENS. Stress, time constraints, temptations, guilt. It takes effort, for instance, to get out of bed for an early morning workout. It takes work to plan out meals. It requires planning to navigate social engagements and stay on plan. IT ISN’T EASY. If it were, there wouldn’t be a multi-billion dollar industry surrounding our collective desire to change our bodies.
Motivation WILL eventually fail each of us. Because it isn’t always there. It waxes and wanes. It may completely disappear for days, weeks…This is part of the human condition. However, there are some key steps you can take to reach any lofty goal: (1) set clear SMART goals, (2) know your WHY, and (3) keep your WHY close to you.
Set a SMART Goal
A clear, explicit goal is imperative to success. Ambiguity leads to stagnation. A SMART goal is SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ATTAINABLE, RELEVANT, and TIME-BASED. It’s clear, well defined, and resonates with what is important to you.
I work with my clients to set two types of SMART goals:
An OUTCOME-BASED GOAL:“I want to lose 10 pounds in 12 weeks”. That’s specific, measurable, and has a time constraint to it. However, this goal doesn’t address HOW the goal will be reached.It doesn’t include directions or actions. Are you going to do extra cardio? How much? What will you eat? When? How much? What foods?
BEHAVIOR-BASED GOALS: Now, this is where the real magic of change begins.These types of goals are daily action-based goals like “Complete 30 minutes of cardio 5 days/week”, or “Cut back on alcohol to 1 day/week”, “Eat 5 servings of fresh or steamed vegetables every day". They are daily, small, manageable actions. I ensure that my clients are very confident that they can implement them on a daily basis.They are directions on HOW to reach outcome-based goals.Be clear. Be concise.And track your daily progress. (These ultimately can turn into long-term habits.More on that next month)
2. Know your WHY
WHY do you want to lose weight? A goal like losing weight is driven by an external force: the number on the scale. What makes this important to you? What makes you want to prioritize this in your life given all the other constraints on your life and your time? How does this goal align with your values and priorities? The more deeply you understand and define your WHY, the more likely you are to succeed.
Here’s an exercise to help you connect with your WHY – It’s an exercise called “The 5 WHYs”:
Clearly state your goal (I recommend writing it down, speaking it out loud to a confidant or record with a voice-recording app). Then, ask yourself WHY? Follow up that response with 4 more WHYs.
Example from one of my clients (it was a very powerful exercise for both of us):
“I want to lose 10 pounds”
WHY 1: “I want to feel more comfortable in my clothes.”
WHY 2: “When I feel comfortable, I feel more confident.”
WHY3: “When I’m confident, I can more easily navigate my life.”
WHY4: “When I navigate my life more easily, I better align my daily actions with what’s truly important to me.”
WHY5: “When I follow through with what’s truly important to me, I feel joy and peace.”
When faced with temptation and doing what’s easy, what’s more powerful? Reminding yourself that you want to lose weight or that the temptation doesn’t align with a deep desire to feel greater joy and peace?
3. Keep your WHY close to you
Completely immerse yourself in your WHY. Remind yourself of it every night before bed. Focus on it first thing in the morning. Whether it’s via journaling, reading, inspiring podcasts, looking at powerful images…keep it close and prioritize it.
“If you are willing to do only what’s easy, life will be hard. But if you are willing to do what’s hard, life will be easy.”
-T. Harv Eker