If you’ve ever wished that you were more motivated to experience life at your full potential then this is for you. Strop living with the bakes on, time is ticking , and your life is passing you by.
Most of us set goals and work hard only to find our motivation fizzle out after a couple of weeks…difficulties and struggle set in….and we give up. But there are little tricks that will help you harness the power of your mind and propel you toward achieving your goal.
The Two Motivators
When you boil it down, you’re motivated by two simple things:
Here in lies human motivation which when matched up to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs may explain all human behavior from survival to self actualization.
PEOPLE! It is 200 annnnnd 9! We should ALL be working towards self actualization. We are in America and if you are reading this you too should be heading towards the top of YOUR pyramid. Its time to dream up your goals and start living them!
Now so many of us are motivated more strongly for different reasons. But, you are naturally geared toward one of these motivators. To figure out which, think of the last time you accomplished a task and then ask yourself the following: While doing the task were you thinking about what would happen if you failed to finish, or were you thinking about what you would gain when you finished?
Take note as to which motivator works for you – fear of failure, or promise of reward.
Set Your Goal: The first step towards unstoppable motivation is to determine your goal. You know you’re unhappy with your current state, but what exactly do you want to change? Why is it important to you?
Perhaps you can relate to one of the following goals:
Train Your Mind for Weight Loss and Performance Goals:
With your clear and important goal in mind, let’s take a few minutes to train your mind to achieve it. You know that weight loss comes as a result of eating right and regular challenging exercise, so let’s use your mind to conquer both.
We know that your subconscious an not understand the difference from imaging a snake or actually seeing a snake in front of you. Similar physiological changes occur when this image enters the subconscious mind…..likewise, we will use this process to master our actions with diet and exercise!
Eating Right: Use this exercise to distance yourself from the self-sabotaging foods you really wish you didn’t eat, and to naturally begin selecting healthy foods.
Take a moment to review your current eating habits. Identify the foods that you should stop eating (hint: sweets, anything fried, refined carbohydrates, sugary drinks). Identify the worst food that you eat regularly but know you shouldn’t.
Now imagine the healthy foods that you should eat (hint: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein…..I like to say: If you can kill it, or grow it, you can eat it!). Identify the healthiest food that you know you should eat regularly.
Now with the image of these two foods in mind, find a quiet place and do the following exercise (seriously this stuff works):
Ok, close your eyes (ok, except for when you need to read here…Slightly keep one eye open for reading purposes;). I am going to count to 10 and you are slowly going to go into a deep sleep. “1, 2, 3, you are getting sleepy, 4,5,6, I hope your not driving, 7,8,9, goodnight, 10….your are sleeping….now read.”
Regular Exercise: This technique can be applied in a way that encourages you to crave exercise rather than avoid it. If you do not learn to enjoy this process it is ok. For the first 90 days you need to keep at it. When you experience some of the benefits you will then find a way to like it. Remember you first beer? Disgusting right? Until you got that buzz….hooked. Once you achieved your internal motivator the connection was made…and wala, habit formed.
Onward…
Take a moment to imagine how you feel after a great workout (notice the emphasis on the word after). Remember the physical satisfaction as well as the sweet feeling of accomplishment. This is the chemical reaction we are after.
Now bring to your mind the aspects of exercise that you dislike. What is your biggest reason for avoiding exercise? Are you too tired? Do you not have enough time? Is physical exertion too much of a hassle? Pinpoint your greatest complaint about exercise.
Now with the image of these two aspects of exercise in mind, find a quiet place and do the following exercise:
Snap! Ok, you can wake up. You should have seen yourself. You were dancing around like a crazy chicken! Thanks for the laugh! Now, lets see what happens…Now, every time you hear the sound, “Grrrrrrrrr!” This will be a cue to get you to take massive action on your goals. You can even do it yourself to stimulate this state within yourself (if you are more of the pirate type, “Arrrrrrrr!” works nicely too).
Why It Works:
If this was your first experience with training your mind (also called Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP, or as I refer to it as a self proclaimed witchdoctor of wellness, weight loss, and weightlifting…I call it simply voo doo or wawaweewah!).
It may have felt a little odd. Many of the world’s top achievers regularly use techniques like these to accomplish astounding goals. You know, ‘fake it till you make it,’ or ‘thoughts are things,’ or good old Doctor Phil’s, ‘mental tapes’. Whatever is playing in your head…make sure the sound track is conducive to your goals and desired outcomes.
The techniques above work because they train your mind to bring your behavior in line with your values. Think about it, you value health, you desire to be fit and attractive and you want to instill healthy habits in your kids.
These techniques encourage you to avoid self-sabotage and to make choices that line up with what you truly value.
Now that you are ready to accomplish your goals, go get em! Dream a big dream and start setting up your life to live there! Eye of the tiger-Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
