What Is Your Motivation? Some Tips and Tools for Staying Motivated

"It doesn't get easier,
you just get faster." Greg LeMond 

When it comes to health and fitness, motivation is everything. It really isn't that important what your
motivation is, as long as it is something important enough to you that it will be lasting. A 10 lb weight loss goal is great, until you have lost the 10 lbs. Then what? Riding a century when you turn 40 is great, but when the century is done, then what?

I have found myself in both of these scenarios in the past three years, only to lose motivation and lose everything that I have worked for. When that short term goal is achieved and I have not anticipated it with setting up another high motivating short term goal, the doughnut or the pillow are stronger forces than my inner motivation.

The way that I see it is that we need to tackle the power behind motivation on two levels. First, it is important to have your "Big Picture Motivation." For me, this would be things like improved long term health to be more active with my wife and kids and to be able to be around to see my kids grow up and start their own families. Your "Big Picture Motivation" (BPM) is the noble, high value motivation. And just like the other "BPM" (Beats Per Minute), it is like the constant and steady heartbeat underlying each moment of every day.

Often we need more than just this constant BPM to motivate us. We need a shot of Adrenaline to get us out of bed or to help us to overcome the temptation to stop for another mocha frappa-latte calorie bomb. This is where the short term, very achievable, goals come into play. This is preparing for the next Gran Fondo or triathlon, or the next getting under 15% body-fat, or whatever may be highly motivating for you. We will call these our Adrenaline Goals.

Here are a couple of tips that I have come up with...

1. Your BPM should be something that will not change in the short term. Completing an Ironman is a great goal, but it is not your BPM. If this is a goal for you, ask yourself, "Why do I want to complete an Ironman?" Keep asking the why question, and answering yourself very honestly. This will get you back to your core reason for why you are trying to improve your health/fitness, lose weight, or training like a madman. 
2. It is possible that when you get to your BPM, it is so big that it loses its motivational power. If this is the case, ask yourself, "Why is this important to me?" Write down all of the answers. This list is part of your BPM, and it is the part that is your long term motivation. I could say that my BPM is "Better long term health." That, in itself, is not very motivating. Stick a chocolate chip cookie in front of me and "long term health" isn't concrete enough to dissipate the temptation. But when I ask the "Why?" question, I start finding the motivating factors in my life. "Being around to see my future grand-kids," or "being in good enough shape to enjoy sports with my kids," are concrete motivating factors that are certainly at the core of my BPM.
3. In general, Adrenaline Goals should be things that you can achieve in three months or less. This will help keep you motivated. Setting goals that are too long term can lead you open to mental fatigue and giving up. There can be exceptions to this. Let's say you want to complete an Ironman. That will take you more than three months. In this case, set up intermediate goals along the way to this longer goal. 
4. Don't just set one Adrenaline Goal. If you do, you will risk floundering when you have achieved this goal. Set the immediate goal and your next follow up goal that you will work towards once the immediate goal is achieved. When you achieve the first, immediately plan your third so that you always have the goal you are working toward now and the next goal you will work toward. If circumstances change, you can always alter the follow up goal to suite what will motivate you most in your life and circumstances. Don't feel locked in. Any good system should be there to serve you and not the other way around. 

There is no magic bullet to stay motivated. It takes commitment, focus, and steadfastness. But these simple tools ca help us set effective goals that will continue to help motivate us immediately and long term. 

I would love to get your feedback, but keep it civil. :-)