Motivation? What do you have when you don’t have it?
When I was a kid, “Fred the Baker” starred in the Dunkin Doughnut’s ad, “Time to Make the Doughnuts”. Come rain or shine, Fred made the doughnuts twice a day. Even when he did not want to get up to make the doughnuts, he was always glad he did.
This is the sentence that comes into my mind on days it is rainy, or my energy is low when starting a workout. “Laura, it’s time to make the doughnuts!” is what I tell myself to cross the threshold to doing what needs to be done. There are many aspects to motivation and on this rainy spring day, here are a few tips to keep you moving!
Routine
What do you want your routine to be? Imagine just focusing on keeping your routine as the one thing you promise yourself. It takes 66 days to solidify a regular routine in your neurological wiring. Imagine:
Day 1: planting the seed of a walking routine. This is new and stimulates mental chatter arguing with the change.
Day 7: the neurological seed might be a sapling while the old mental trees of sleeping in might be urging you to stay put in a warm bed. The work out sapling grows and thrives with each success of the routine.
Day 14: It’s easier to say yes to yourself yet you hear the luring of sleeping in.
Day 28: Yes might sound like, “YES!” The warm bed is quieter.
Day 38: You are well on your way. Keep going! Reinforce the routine and feel the positive effects of the changes you are making. This keeps the feeling going that doing is better than not doing.
Day 66: YOU MADE IT! This is a firmly established routine! Now, what’s the next 66-day choice to grow in your life?
Stick to your desired routine for 66 days and you’ll find the mental argument gets smaller and quieter. Your routine is growing a new forest of neurological responses. You are programming a new mental soup that feels good mentally and physically.
Mantra
My mantra on tough days is the silly doughnut meme. “It’s time…” are the key words. I have a few time markers in my morning that are go buttons to activities. 5am Coffee. 5:30am Prayer and Meditation. 5:50 Physical Therapy 6:30 Walk. “It’s time” helps me to begin and stick to the things I choose to do. What is your one line to get moving on your goals? I’d love to hear from you to expand my personal repertoire!
Support
Bed wins. This was my first realization in changing my health routines. I needed something stronger than a warm bed. Turns out for me it’s a partner to meet me walking. I have 2 walking partners that I switch up days with and keep me accountable to get out rain or shine. Knowing I am meeting a partner at 6:30am keeps me on track. I have a set time limit to complete the pre-walk line up. What is one thing you can do that will make getting to your goal easier?
Future Casting
In six months, I can see being able to walk 5 miles with ease and in 15 months walk the Camino de Santiago. Every day, I look ahead in my mind’s eye to who I am becoming. During my PT, I imagine my future self. What is she doing? What choices does she make? How does she feel? In the quiet hours of core, I spend quality time imagining the person I am becoming. It helps my choices today when I look ahead to how I want to perform the different roles I wear today.
The Week is Decided
I spend Sundays writing out my week including menu selections, grocery items, and booking the time to do what I choose. Beyond my morning routine, I decide what my agenda for the day looks like. I found that when I did not plan ahead, things like dinner seemed surprising. I also had a hard time feeling robust when I wasn’t sure if I should be planning, tasking, working, resting, or playing. When I didn’t decide ahead of time, my play time was skipped. My rest time was shoved out. I had a feeling of being chased by to do items. My motivation is supported by a view of the week. This keeps me going. Knowing what I planned is stronger than a feeling of wanting to do something. Instead, it becomes a knowing of, “This will be done now”.
Fun and Carefree
I resisted the idea of planning for fear of leaching all the fun and spontaneity out of my life. What I discovered is that plans change all the time, and often by other people. I get to choose what happens in those serendipitous free slots. I’m able to make better choices when the unexpected happens because I have an idea of what the flow of the week is. This enables me to ask for support when a curve ball happens. It also allows me to grab the dog leash and my tennis shoes when a sunny day has a last-minute cancellation.
Need help deciding the right amount of structure for you? Book a session to talk through what you wish to accomplish in the week and discover ways to remove obstacles by coaching your authentic plan into place.
Namaste,
Laura