Small Motivating Tips for success
Like many of us, chances are you've had that burst of motivation that makes you want to reinvent yourself overnight. This feeling typically lasts a few hours before reality sets in, and you accept that it's unlikely you will change everything about your life in a day. This is a common scenario for most people. We all want to succeed in each area of our life, whether personal or professional, but simply implementing that change can be the greatest challenge we face. We wanted to share with you some things that have worked for us, that may hopefully work for you too.
Set your Intentions
When setting your intentions, it's important, to be honest with yourself. Whether you want to better your health, master an instrument, or advance in your career, it is essential that whatever your reason, you are doing it for YOU.
Start Small
What happens for many of us is that we start strong, we're super motivated and excited to make this change, and we want to see the results right away. Unfortunately, this is the quickest way to fall off a goal, and not reach it. When we put a lot on our plate to start with, we can manage it for a while, but inevitably we cannot maintain this load for an extended amount of time. Then when we can't, it's easy to get discouraged and give up altogether. Let's say your goal is to eat healthier, you think to yourself, "Okay, I'm going to eat only healthy meals during the week." It sounds ideal, but if you currently only eat one healthy meal a week, this is going to be a huge shock to your current routine. Instead, try starting by making one healthy substitution in your day, such as choosing whole-wheat toast over white for breakfast. Allowing yourself to have small and flexible goals is easier to commit to and will help to deter burnout.
Show up Consistently
We've all heard the saying "slow and steady wins the race.” It's a cliche, but it's not wrong. In a world loaded with instant gratification, it's hard not to be discouraged when we don't get the results we want right away. This is where we want to shift our focus from the end goal to the day to day journey. Say you're learning how to play an instrument, you may not master a complete song after a few lessons, but each day you practice will bring you one day closer than you were the day before. When you focus on the small chunks of work in front of you, the results will follow naturally, and the timeline may surprise you.
Keep Building
As you become comfortable with these concepts and consistently chip away at one of your goals, it will begin to feel less challenging than when you first began. Now you can start to build on the foundation you've created for yourself and take slightly bigger strides towards that goal.
As we continue this process and begin to trust that we can truly commit to working on something a little every day, that natural self-pride and motivation will fuel you in other areas of life. Making a change in your life doesn't have to be drastic or quick to be relevant. Start by slowly collecting the pieces to build the life you. This is a more realistic and achievable way of attaining your goals.
Written by Shayla Young