Where do you find the motivation to keep going?

Nix

Just a little crazy!!
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So wether it's diet, exercise or giving up something... where do you find the motivation to keep going with your goals?

I'm aiming for the first week in January to get back on the losing weight goal. Not January the 1st as that's never a good day to start lol, too hungover for that! But I need to find a way to keep up the motivation as I have loads to lose and I'm scared of failure.
 

Joan

Don't Blink
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I think it's getting into a routine that makes things easier, however it's not easy to get that routine going.

It might be something small to begin with, like cutting back on coffee and drinking more water. Getting into a habit of reaching for the water bottle instead.
 

Joan

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Maybe you start with a time limit, no coffee after 8pm, then slowly move that tine, no coffee after 7:30, 7 etc, or none after dinner.
 

Joan

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I think it's easier to stick with something if you don't have temptation around you. Which is my struggle, as I have so many on my walk to and from work
 

Floris

I'm just me :) Hi.
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The switch of the year is corny, but it's a nice moment - you can close the door behind you of the previous year, and pick up what you want to achieve in life, starting fresh. Be it January or March. But it's a matter of doing, and getting past that wall you will hit at some point. After that it's like an addiction to keep doing well.

I think people get overly excited about 'it goes well!' in the beginning, because that's the easy part. Everybody can start something.

It was the same when we went to school in August/September, first few months are easy then suddenly the end of the year it's like depression kicks in, demotivated to achieve anything and 'it is impossible to finish this successfully!' Yeah well, routine and the material gets harder.

I think it's the same with starting anything. The excitement of starting something goes away, how easy it is when you start goes away. Routine kicks in and then persistence is harder to achieve daily.

Start slow, don't dive 100% into something, get used to it. And then take that as a motivation to stop, revisit what you want, and start again. Again go slow, don't dive into it 100% again, and get used to it. After a while (at least for me) it's becoming as normal as waking up even if you don't want to, or going for that shower even if you rather do something else. It's becoming part of life and before you know it you've done it for a year.

Be it a daily walk, a daily healthy snack instead of a full lunch, etc, etc.

And not everything works. I tried 7 things last years, only 3 stuck. But at least I don't have to make it a chore for those three things. They are kinda 'normal' to me now. And I feel motivated to drop one of those 7, but try the other few again and make at least one or two the new normal for me.

I think it is logical that when the new year starts everybody jumps into the gym 24/7 for a few weeks and then suddenly they hit that wall ... their 100% dedication to something goes away, because it's suddenly not new, they've put 100% into it, which is hard to sustain, and they realise it's not that easy and regret having the thoughts 'i can do this for a year, easy' . I really do believe the people that just pick up an exercise and take it easy, let their body get used to it, and when they get past that point of 'oh god i wanna stop', that it becomes a normal thing, and adding more things to that routine will then be easier to do, .. you as a person learned where your limits are, and how much real time you have for something, and how much time it takes to get used to something. Piling up on that is then a gamification of that. And instead of being motivated to 'start' something, you're motivated to 'do' something.

Sorry for my poor explanations, it makes sense to me, it's 9pm and I seriously just woke up. I can't think today. But! The few things that I started last january, I am motivated still in November now, to go do those now instead of being behind my system. So, back later!
 
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