It has been a rough past few weeks for me and it seems to be stemming from a lack of motivation. I have not wanted to work out, work, and to be honest I have not wanted to do much of anything other than sitting on the couch with a blanket and my dog.
So, this week I decided I needed to dig deep to find my motivations. I have rediscovered my true motivators. Normally, I listen to a motivational podcast on my morning walk with the dogs, but for some reason, I was finding myself lackadaisically going through the morning walk with nothing to get myself going like usual. When I would get out for a run, I was only listening to the music my Nike running app gave me, and when I was working, I was listening to “study” playlists on Spotify. I was providing myself with background noise without substance, whereas previously I was listening to background noise within a motivational mindset. While I do enjoy listening to the sounds of nature on my walks with my dogs, getting my mindset right first thing in the morning is the right answer for me to get going. I have restarted my motivational podcasts on my morning walks and have started building a playlist of motivational songs, speeches, and podcasts, so I can quickly turn a playlist on in the background to keep me motivated and focused.
Some of the first songs I added to my playlist are Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, and We are the Champions by Queen. Yes, these are the most obvious song choices to get motivated and pumped, but 100% necessary additions because they are some of the best motivational songs ever made. What would be on your motivational playlist?
Although the audio motivation is something that resonates with me, I also have made a visual change to help me refocus and find my motivation again. I have moved my vision board and goals board to be more present and in my line of vision to keep me on track with my eyes on the prize. My goals now sit just above my computer screens and are stuck to the monitors, and my vision board is right next to my computer screens where I see it every day when I walk into my office.
I know vision boards sometimes have a “cheesy pie in the sky” type of negative connotation, but after doing one with a group of women and having a discussion centered around why they were choosing certain things and why they meant so much to them I came around to the idea. I came around to the idea that these vision boards can be helpful, so I did one. I included pictures as well as keywords on my vision board. I have words like “Education” because my passion is to educate individuals on health and how easy it can be to live a healthy life once you have the knowledge and motivation. I am continually educating myself on new health practices as well as trends so I can impart that knowledge onto others. I have a picture of a car because while I love my car and never want to get rid of it, I know it is getting up there in mileage and a new car may be a necessity soon. These few things every day remind me of why I am a health coach, and where I want to get to whether it be career, financially or general life. One of the biggest things that I have learned to appreciate about my vision board is it adds that visual representation of my goals. Not just words, not just to-do lists or schedules, but pictures of cars, a house, and a couple on the beach. Things that I want to do this year and in future years are all visualized in front of me.
I also had the privilege of participating in an event within the last few weeks where a woman came and discussed how to refocus and stay motivated. She suggested writing down your true vision for your life. Much like how companies have a mission or vision statement, so why don’t we as individuals have a mission or vision statement for our lives? Like how we set New Year’s resolutions why don’t we build a vision statement for the year (I bet we would all stay more accountable to a full year vision). So, I figured I should write my vision statement for the year:
My vision for 2022 is to allow others to build an understanding of living a healthy sustainable lifestyle.
I have printed this vision off and written it on my whiteboard near my computer screen, so on those days where I ask myself WHY? I can just look up and remember why I started Ignite Health Coaching and continue every day to push ahead and stay motivated.
The biggest thing that I have learned about staying motivated is to keep your goals and you’re why in front of you and in the forefront of your brain and in your face. Wherever that is, on your desk, a sticky note on your computer, your whiteboard, or even written on your bathroom mirror. Somewhere you see every day to remind you how far you have come and where you are trying to get with your goals!