The “Creating and Maintaining Motivation” episode of the Primal Potential podcast tackles the core of many people’s weight loss challenges – how to get started, stay the course and not give up! Anyone can feel motivated for a few days or weeks, but how do you create an environment where you’re motivated to go the distance? Most of us have more than a few pounds to lose and that requires ongoing motivation and encouragement. Fortunately, motivation is something we CREATE and this episode of the Primal Potential podcast tells you how.
Listen now!
The Challenge: For more than 20 years I desperately wanted to lose weight but wasn’t able to make it happen. After losing well over 100 pounds, the most common question people ask me is, “How did you find the motivation?” Everybody wants it – the problem isn’t what to eat or how to workout, it’s how to keep yourself motivated to put in the work and effort day in and day out until you reach your goal.
The Solution: Motivation doesn’t just strike you if you get lucky. You create motivation through your attitude, where you put your focus, the strength and weight of your goals and the consistency of your action. This episode talks about specific strategies for actively creating this motivation every single day. These strategies include re-working the mental associations you have with weight loss, changing your focus from your obstacles to your opportunities and identifying small actions you can take consistently to build momentum and see progress.
Practical Implementation:
- As humans, we instinctively move towards things that bring us pleasure and away from things that bring us pain. We often do this without even noticing it. When it comes to weight loss, many of us keep ourselves from success because we have built up negative associations to weight loss. When we think about weight loss we often think things like restriction, deprivation, hunger, hard work, cravings, isolation, frustration, etc. In this episode we talk about a practical exercise you can do to reframe your associations and create thoughts of enthusiasm and pleasure around weight loss.
- You MUST stop focusing on your limitations if you want to succeed. I love the quote “When you argue for your limitations, you get to keep them”. Sure, it might be hard. There might be legit reasons it will be difficult for you to lose weight. I’ve been there – a stressful job, a spouse that doesn’t like to eat healthy, hormonal imbalances, etc. What good does it do to focus on those things? Does it serve you? Does it help you reach your goals? No. Instead, switch your focus to all the incredible doors that you will open up as you move towards your goals. Focus on the additional energy you’ll have. Focus on how incredible it will feel to be more confident or to have more energy to play with your kids. Focus on how great it will be to not dread going to the doctor but to go with a sense of pride in all you’ve accomplished, knowing that you’ve improved your health through your own hard work and motivation. Focus on the positive. What has focusing on your limitations gotten you so far? Yeah, I thought so…
- Take action. You don’t need to tackle the world here, you just need to identify one small change and then make it consistently. Every day. Not once in a while. Not when it’s easy. Not when you feel like it. Every day. Just identify one positive step you’re going to take towards your healthier self and then do it consistently. Without excuse. Without complaining. With enthusiasm and a sense of empowerment.
Motivation is something we CREATE. Every day. Through intention and action.
Here’s something super important I want you to keep in mind:
Most of us are attracted to plans and programs because it feels good for someone to just tell us what to do. It seems straight forward and promising. The problem is – the same excuses, delays and deferrals will get in the way until you overcome THOSE. Most of us don’t need another plan or program. We need to upgrade our MINDSET. Every choice you make results from how you THINK about your options, circumstances, goals and alternatives. When you become a better thinker, you become a better decision maker and THAT is the true driver of results. That’s what 10x Mindset is all about.
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