Let’s talk about how to motivate yourself.

The most known way to motivate yourself is to have a big goal and some smaller goals or targets within that. I’m sure you’ve heard of SMART goals. Just in case you haven’t, those letters stand for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based.

It’s really important for goals to be specific and measurable, because wanting to be “a bit fitter” is just not that motivating. But if you aim for completing a 5k run in say 25 mins, you will know whether you’ve achieved it or not. And then you can reward yourself when you do.

I always encourage people to set goals that are super achievable. So for example, if they say they will study for 2 hours each evening after work, I ask “What is the bare minimum you could study?” They might reply that they must do at least one hour. So I ask them to commit to that instead. That way, they know they will definitely achieve it, and if they feel inspired to do more, it’s a bonus.

Obviously, your smaller goals need to be relevant to your overall goal, so that you are always moving towards that. For example, I would like to be able to do a half marathon (13 miles). There is one being held at the start of December. So if I set that as a goal, I have 3 months to train for it.

This morning I got up early and started my running season with a 2 mile public run. This is how I kept myself motivated. For the most part it was about convincing my brain that I could keep going.

During the first section, I occupied my mind with saying a prayer that has a certain format and takes a good 15 minutes. That way I hardly noticed that I was running in my sleepy state!

Next, I imagined that I was playing pickle ball (which I have just started) and a certain point on the path ahead was a ball that I wanted to hit. I did that several times, and it kept me moving just a little bit more each time.

Third, there was an older man who was wheezing and gasping for breath, but he kept up a good pace. I told myself “I can’t let him beat me.” Also I decided that if my breathing was not a struggle, and no part of my body was hurting, that meant I had a lot more energy within me.

Then I told myself I would have a slap up breakfast as a reward for my run. I would have my porridge with berries, followed by turkey bacon and scrambled eggs on toast with a mocha latte. The reality turned out to be slightly simpler, as we need to go to the supermarket. But the thought kept me going! I also lengthened my pace so that I was stretching my legs.

Lastly, I imagined people at the finish line cheering me on. And then I turned the corner and the finish line was in sight. I slightly increased my speed. And as I got closer I heard that people were really cheering me on! I waited until I was about 100 metres to the end. Then with a big smile on my face, I got faster and faster until I was actually sprinting through the finish line! Yes! I did it!

As always, this serves as a metaphor for life and business. Sometimes we just need to convince our brains that we can carry on.

If you would like a powerful Motivate Your Momentum call with me, so that you can keep moving forwards in life and business, you can book it here.