Motivation - Part 2

Happy Thursday morning! Yesterday I started talking about motivation, and I'd like to share a bit more about motivation again today. Like yesterday, some of what I have to say has been said before, but I think it's worth repeating :-).

When it comes to losing weight or making other positive changes in our lives, we often allow ourselves to be dependent upon our level of motivation. If we wake up and the sun is shining and we feel motivated, wow, we do so well! We are focused and on plan and nothing can stop us! But if it's raining and the dog threw up and we don't feel particularly motivated, then all bets are off. Sound familiar? I just described my old pattern of behavior :-). I would literally tell myself some mornings that "this isn't going to be a good diet day today." Maybe I'd awakened with a headache (probably from the late-night snacking I did before going to bed), maybe the kids were running late, maybe I didn't have time to iron the blouse I planned to wear - it didn't take much for me to decide that it wasn't going to be a good diet day. The funny thing about this is that I actually thought it was OK to do that! I thought it was OK to give myself permission to not make healthy choices - what WAS I thinking? My commitment fluctuated from day to day, and sometimes from moment to moment, depending on whether or not I "felt" motivated.

We would never tolerate this kind of wishy-washy thinking in other areas of our lives, so why are we so willing to tolerate it in an area as important as our health? We obviously don't make a decision every morning about whether or not we're going to show up to work, depending on how motivated we feel! We get dressed and show up because it's what we have to do. We've made a commitment to our employer, so we pull ourselves together and just do it. We take care of our families whether we feel like it or not. You probably have your own list of things that you do on a regular basis because you have a responsibility, and your motivation level never really enters into the equation.

Today I'm encouraging you to make a commitment to your health and stay on plan, whether you feel like it or not. Even if you aren't feeling the least bit motivated to stay on plan today, do it anyway :-). There is something very powerful and very empowering about pushing through and doing the right thing when you don't feel like it. The really amazing thing is that when we push through and do it whether we feel like it or not, the motivation oftens shows up - it may be late, but it shows up and we feel a renewed desire to keep making the right choice.

So just do it! If you do, I can guarantee you that you'll be glad you did at the end of today.