Put simply motivation is really the driver behind the actions that we take to reach the goals that we want to reach. Without any real strong motivation, we struggle to get started or overcome obstacles that prevent or block us from getting to the places that we want to be at.
Now motivation can come from many different things and can vary in degrees of importance from one person to another.
The real key is to figure out what you are motivated by before you start on your weight loss program. This is important for many reasons. When you are motivated for the right reasons, the process is much simpler and more focused and targeted. This is often the difference between failing and succeeding with goals and targets.
The first question to really ask yourself is exactly why you want to lose weight, this may seem fairly obvious, but many completely start on the wrong foot and therefore can't find the motivation needed to take the actions to get the results that they want.
Think about this for a moment, how many times have you decided to set your mind to something, but not for personal reasons, for something or someone else.
Well this logic is the same for weight loss, if you do not have personal motivation to lose weight but your personal satisfaction then you will find it very hard to find the motivation to go through the whole process and reach the end.
I believe this is a mistake that many people make when it comes to weigh loss. The idea of losing weight for a close relative or loved on does not really provide the real motivational backbone to start with.
To lose weight for personal reasons that will make you happier and more confident with your improved healthier body is that always going to provide the best fuel for motivation
A good strategy to get this process started would be to sit down for an hour or two and write down every reason why you want to lose weight. If you do this you may find a few common patterns ring through on your notes.
The first thing to do is making sure all your reasons to lose weight are all personal reasons and not for others, as stated above this is so important.
The next thing to do with you goals that are written down would be to look at them and make sure they are realistic and measurable. You would only be setting yourself up for failure if the goals that you have set are far from realistic and unmeasurable.
Attempting to reach such goals would be disastrous from the start and motivation to carry on would soon run out.
Another very effective tip is to break down the ultimate goal into smaller mini goals that you work on toward each month. If you skip this process and went with the mind-set that I am going to say for example "lose 50 pounds with 6 months" , this is manageable but without knowing how much to lose per week and month.
This could be a real issue in the long run and you may struggle to find motivation to continue on the quest to lose the weight that you want to lose.
Motivation is also an excuse that many people throw around loosely, especially when it comes to weight loss. How many times have you heard a close friend say that they wanted to lose weight, but they never really got round to it, lack of motivation is normally the reason behind this.
The simple truth is that when you have strong motivation to do something then you will most likely take the right cause of action or proceed with a plan to reach the goals that you desire.
In terms on how to find motivation to continue and persist with your weight loss program when things get tough, there are several ways to overcome this issue. Everyone has friends that will give them a kick in the right direction from time to time. Music is also a fantastic way.
One of the most underrated and neglected ways of training the mind to beat the "lack of motivation" syndrome is to mix up and change the routine/pattern that you have been doing to keep the body guessing and the progress coming.
Knowing what motivates you to take action is the real key to success, motivations is one of the most important issues you will face on your weight loss journey, the real question to ask is how badly do you want to lose weight and improve your body shape. If you want it badly enough then motivation should not be a problem.