You stand on the scale while glancing away, remembering when you were going to get slugged by the big bully you knew as a child. You're afraid to look. You don't want to know the results. I mean, after all, you already know what it's going to be - and it won't be pretty.
Sure 'nuff, the number flashes its ugly figures on the readout. Like Hunter Thompson, with fear and loathing, you realize you've been devoured by the dreaded "lost your motivation" monster! "It's just a matter of time before I gain everything back. Why try? Might as well stop now and avoid the embarrassment of going through this week after week. I was bound to happen. But it would have been nice if it didn't. Oh well, If I only knew how to get motivated again, I could get going again"
[Sigh] Please pass the ice cream...
At first glance it seems motivation leads behavior and if we lose our motivation, we will never reach our goals.Without those emotional weapons at our beck and call, it seems impossible to storm the castle. Yet, they are in your arsenal at all times, ready for you to pick them up and use them. They don't leave. We drop them. Let me explain how you can retrieve them.
Think of your most successful weight loss period; odds are it was when you started your journey. Remind yourself how you felt when you showed up at your Weight Watchers meeting the first time (even if you had done it previously).
Whatever the emotion, it certainly was not "motivated." Yet, you were willing to follow the advice and do it "one more time." You read the programs. You tracked your food. You drank so much water you felt like you'd never leave the bathroom. You tried new recipes - anything to get rid of the doubt and self disgust that seemed to follow you everywhere. The attitude might not have been one of "I can do it" as much "I'll show them it doesn't work." Nonetheless, you went through the behaviors - for whatever reason.
At week's end, you stood on the scale. Lo and behold, weight loss! Well, that feels pretty darn good, don't it? The "mental nausea" you experienced through the week had positive benefits after all!
And because of the results, you were "willing to give it another week." So, you repeated the process and - miracle of miracles! - another nice weight loss. After two weeks, you're down a few pounds. Your energy level is rising. Your clothes are little looser. The sun seems a bit brighter. Things are definitely on the move. As a matter of fact, you are motivated!
The point is that motivation does NOT lead behavior, despite popular belief. It follows it. If the results you're experiencing are disappointing and you can't find your way back "home," look at your behaviors. Are you still doing what you did when it felt so good and so much in control. Or, have you slacked off and loosened the behaviors that did you so much.
It's hard to keep up such vigilance. If it was easy, we'd all do it. Don't try and do it all. Pick one behavior this week. Don't wait. Choose the first idea that comes into your head. (I believe that's your inner voice leading you down the correct path.) And whatever it is, if it's controlling your portions or drinking your water, do MORE of it this week than you have done recently.
Drink one more glass of water today than you did yesterday. Walk five minutes more than you did last week. Stop eating 20 minutes earlier than you usually do. Just make the commitment to do it for this week. And notice how you feel.It doesn't take long for the motivation to return. It just takes a willingness to do something to invite it back.
Sure 'nuff, the number flashes its ugly figures on the readout. Like Hunter Thompson, with fear and loathing, you realize you've been devoured by the dreaded "lost your motivation" monster! "It's just a matter of time before I gain everything back. Why try? Might as well stop now and avoid the embarrassment of going through this week after week. I was bound to happen. But it would have been nice if it didn't. Oh well, If I only knew how to get motivated again, I could get going again"
[Sigh] Please pass the ice cream...
At first glance it seems motivation leads behavior and if we lose our motivation, we will never reach our goals.Without those emotional weapons at our beck and call, it seems impossible to storm the castle. Yet, they are in your arsenal at all times, ready for you to pick them up and use them. They don't leave. We drop them. Let me explain how you can retrieve them.
Think of your most successful weight loss period; odds are it was when you started your journey. Remind yourself how you felt when you showed up at your Weight Watchers meeting the first time (even if you had done it previously).
Whatever the emotion, it certainly was not "motivated." Yet, you were willing to follow the advice and do it "one more time." You read the programs. You tracked your food. You drank so much water you felt like you'd never leave the bathroom. You tried new recipes - anything to get rid of the doubt and self disgust that seemed to follow you everywhere. The attitude might not have been one of "I can do it" as much "I'll show them it doesn't work." Nonetheless, you went through the behaviors - for whatever reason.
At week's end, you stood on the scale. Lo and behold, weight loss! Well, that feels pretty darn good, don't it? The "mental nausea" you experienced through the week had positive benefits after all!
And because of the results, you were "willing to give it another week." So, you repeated the process and - miracle of miracles! - another nice weight loss. After two weeks, you're down a few pounds. Your energy level is rising. Your clothes are little looser. The sun seems a bit brighter. Things are definitely on the move. As a matter of fact, you are motivated!
The point is that motivation does NOT lead behavior, despite popular belief. It follows it. If the results you're experiencing are disappointing and you can't find your way back "home," look at your behaviors. Are you still doing what you did when it felt so good and so much in control. Or, have you slacked off and loosened the behaviors that did you so much.
It's hard to keep up such vigilance. If it was easy, we'd all do it. Don't try and do it all. Pick one behavior this week. Don't wait. Choose the first idea that comes into your head. (I believe that's your inner voice leading you down the correct path.) And whatever it is, if it's controlling your portions or drinking your water, do MORE of it this week than you have done recently.
Drink one more glass of water today than you did yesterday. Walk five minutes more than you did last week. Stop eating 20 minutes earlier than you usually do. Just make the commitment to do it for this week. And notice how you feel.It doesn't take long for the motivation to return. It just takes a willingness to do something to invite it back.
Scott "Q" Marcus is a THINspirational speaker and author. Since losing 70 pounds in 1994, he conducts speeches, workshops, and presentations throughout the country on how to achieve goals, improve attitude, and enjoy the process. You can contact him for speaking, coaching or consulting, or you can sign up for his free ezine, "This Time I Mean It" at http://www.scottqmarcus.com/ (By the way, he has been known to work with people in exchange for good quality chocolate - but he denies it.)
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