How to Discover Your Motivation Again- Even When It’s Hard

Motivation can be tricky.  Some days, you have it, others you just don’t.  Do you ever have mornings you wake up with energy to conquer your goals, you are highly motivated, you feel inspired and you go out in the world with your plan-with nothing stopping you?  Other days, you can BARELY get out of bed, everything feels hard, wrong, overwhelming.  You start your day tired, you scroll through your phone, trying to forget about the day ahead.  Guess what?  It’s normal to have days like this and days in between both examples.  When motivation is low or hiding somewhere entirely, the best thing you can do to discover it again is the repetition of daily (healthy) habits.

Let’s dive into how our daily habits either motivate or hinder you from reaching your goals and living your happiest, healthiest life.

1. 1.  Don’t just set a schedule (ie. wake up at 5:30 AM and workout), create rituals instead.  For instance, wake up at 5:30 AM and take 5 minutes to visualize your day, set an intention, express gratitude for the things you have in your life.   Then, continue with whatever rituals you want to incorporate into your routine (ie. Make a protein shake or cup of coffee, do a few gentle stretches, then get yourself to your workout spot and GO!) Try and do the same rituals every day for multiple weeks, these rituals become habits, habits keep your motivation humming along with great consistency as the habits become your routine.
   2. Start simple.  If you are seeking motivation to exercise each day, but the thought of starting feels too daunting.  Start small.  Create a ritual for yourself that might look like this: Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, get up an extra hour early.  Go through the same ritual in #1 – then give yourself a very doable plan-(ie.  Put on your running shoes and go for an hour long walk around your neighborhood).  As this becomes a habit, you may add another day to your routine or another doable activity in the afternoon.  Give yourself at least 3 weeks to secure your first ritually driven habit.
   3. Repetition is BIG and why we have a specific repetitive structure at our fitness camp.  While at the retreat, you are activity creating rituals, habits, and a routine and reprogramming your brain by repetition.  When you go home, you have mastered the new habits and they have a very high success for a long term life-style change.   Eventually you get to a point where the routine is just a part of your daily life, the need to seek additional motivation becomes less and less necessary.
   4. The key to maintaining these new habits, routines, and ultimately a highly motivated life, is to continue to challenge yourself, but not to the point you want to quit.  If you become bored of your routine or you’ve hit a plateau where you are no longer progressing how you’d like, you need to switch it up to keep the momentum going.  Perhaps at this juncture, it’s time to try another fitness class or bring weights on your walk for more intensity.  Maybe, it’s time to run instead of walk!  You need to feel challenged, but capable.  Additionally, if you sign up for a spin class and attend one, but realize it is way too intense and causes knee pain, the chances of making this part of your routine are slim to none. You need to feel challenged, but capable of completing the class.
   5. Remember, long term motivation will ebb and flow, so will your wellness.  We are all human and no one is on point all the time.  Find balance, discover your routine through your daily habits and find your flow- consistency is key to anything.   When motivation fades, remember that you have the power to choose to keep going.  If you dig deep, you can ask yourself, “How will I feel after I do this workout versus sitting on the couch watching Dateline”?  I think you’ll agree, you will feel energized, stronger, and proud of yourself if you get up and get yourself to the boxing class.  Discomfort is temporary and we know you can do hard things.At Unite, we believe in you, trust in the process and yourself.