I’m Motivated…Now What?

“Have you ever listened to a great motivational speaker? They probably made you feel inspired, ready to take greater risks or work even harder. But studies have show that all too often these effects are short lived. People may get excited in the moment, but all too often the energy fizzles out if it isn’t focused in a particular direction or initiative.” ~ A Grand New Day – Bible Study

Has anyone else experienced the above? I have. Countless times. I get super psyched about something and then times wears on, reality sets in and I get easily discouraged or side-tracked. I think it is another one of those human nature things so the real question is how do we overcome the slump after the initial excitement? How do we turn that excitement into action? How do we turn that action into habit?

I don’t really have an answer for any those questions. Personal experience has shown me that writing this blog has helped me stay motivated about losing weight and improving myself. I still go through slumps but they are few and far between as compared to what they were before I started writing on a regular basis. There are some things that I don’t write about as much or I don’t necessarily want to advertise to the whole world. What do I do then? That is where I am struggling. I haven’t done a very good job with those things. My spiritual, financial, and professional goals are lagging in comparison to my relational, physical, and emotional goals. How do I get myself to a point that I am consistently working on all of the goals in my life? I have been praying for an answer to that and God’s answer was to send me a couple of great women to help me.

One of them is in a very similar mindset that I am. She also wants to change and doesn’t know how or where to start. She only knows where she wants to end up. I get that. I am the same way. Thank goodness she is a bit more forward thinking than I am. Per her idea, she and I are having a slumber party tonight. Why? Just because. Why else? We decided that we are going to talk about our goals. I mean REALLY talk about them. Talk about our wants, desires and we are going to lay out a plan to get it done. Why am I so super stoked for this? Because then someone else will know. She will know everything. She will be able to call me out when I don’t feel like doing anything or I do something counter intuitive to my goals. I am also excited that I will be able to do the same for her. I get to be a part of someone else’s journey. I get to be involved beyond just knowing. Isn’t that awesome?!

There are also a couple of joint goals that we are going to be working on. Similar desires that we now have teammates for. I know this won’t fix everything. I know this won’t make everything perfect. I know that there will still be times of struggling to stay motivated but I know there is someone on my team. Someone who wants me to succeed as much as I want her to succeed. That is motivation in and of itself. 

“People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.” ~ Zig Ziglar

How do you stay motivated?