10 Ways to Get Going and Maintain Momentum

Ah, motivation. Wouldn’t it be nice if it came in a pill? Or better yet, a gummy, like a children’s vitamin. Shaped like Olaf or Yoda or some other awesome fictional character. You’d eat it and instantly feel excited to go out there and get it done. All of it! But, sadly, it doesn’t. What’s a girl to do? Well, it’s all about getting motivated to get going and finding a way to maintain that momentum…and staying committed. With a little grit thrown in.

 

Motivation often comes on strong and you feel like you can take on the world…but then…reality sets in, motivation wears off.

Sometimes it’s hard to get started; once you get going it’s ok. Sometimes it’s easy to start, hard to keep going. Especially when you hit a bump in the road. And let’s face it there will be plenty of bumps in the road. Sometimes we fizzle out, sometimes we run facefirst into a stop sign, sometimes our inner-saboteur pulls us by the ponytail into our comfy old habits.

Whatever your goal is- getting fit, losing weight, getting organized, sticking to a budget, building a business, going back to school, being more social, whatever- you’re going to have bad days. You’re going to make mistakes.

What’s important is that you get back to it. You don’t beat yourself up about the slip-up, you don’t let it make you throw in the towel. Don’t say screw it, why do I even bother, I never stick with it. Get back into it, back into the momentum you had.

Oh, and if you don’t have a goal, you should. It doesn’t have to be crazy, but you should have one. Here’s some motivation to set a goal:

If you find yourself going through life without anything to work toward or aim for,

it’s no wonder that you feel like your life is living you instead of the other way around.

I don’t care if you’re the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a stay-at-home mom- you’ve got to have a goal.

It can be a personal goal you set for yourself to get in shape or save money or own a home or build a business or save your marriage.

It can be anything at all.

Just know that you’re supposed to have one, and even if you’ve never been able to focus in on one before, you can develop the habit and you can become

the kind of person who is, well, any damn thing she wants to be.” -Rachel Hollis

I was never a “goal-oriented person” but I have experienced how great it feels to reach some goals. (See my post Goal Setting for Slackers!) And then there’s this one…

…growth is happiness. Truly. Having something to work toward gives us purpose.

Achieving new milestones, even little ones, gives us a sense of accomplishment and

pride. All living organisms, relationships, and businesses are either growing or

they’re dying. Period. -Rachel Hollis

Can you tell I’m reading a Rachel Hollis book? I love this quote, too, because I really feel we need to keep growing and changing and not get stuck in a rut.

So, here are some ways you can stay motivated:

Mindset

I believe more and more that it’s all about the mindset. We have to have a good mindset to make stuff happen. Life will come along and screw everything up if we’re not careful. So, even if you’re skeptical of the whole “change your mind, change your life,” thing, dive into these next steps and see if they don’t make a difference:

• Your Why. Remember why you started. Think about it every day. Why are you doing what you’re doing? Are you trying to lose weight so you can keep up with your kids? Are you building a side hustle so one day you can leave a job you hate? Any time the going gets tough, think back to that reason.
• Make sure your why is a good one. Not to be judgey or anything here, but you’ve got to have a why that comes from a good place. When my “why I want to lose weight” changed from “I want to be skinny, I want to look like so-and-so” to “I want to be strong, I want to feel healthy, I want to feel comfortable in my own skin, I want to be able to hoist myself out of a pool” that’s when I saw change. So think about your motivation to reach your goal- if you’re doing it for clear, healthy reasons you’ll be more likely to get there.
• Personal Development. Read something every day that will keep you motivated. Motivation doesn’t spring eternal from some inner magical fountain. You have to do things to keep that motivation going. Immerse yourself in it- read positive things, look at positive people. Check out these books for ideas. I also highly recommend Girl, Stop Apologizing, which I’m reading right now and loving so far!
• Affirmations. Talk positively to yourself. I know this sounds silly; I still struggle with this one. But think of one mantra to run through your head during the day. “I am confident” will work, or “I am strong and healthy and I make good choices.” Say it to yourself periodically throughout the day- make times for it. When you get in the car, hourly, every time you pee, whatever. And say it when you feel doubt. No one will know what’s running through your head, I swear.
• Accountability. Find a group or a friend to help you with your goals. One of the best things about accountability groups is that the other people will be riding the waves of motivation too. When they’re in a good place and post something positive it can help carry you through a bad place. Find some like-minded people and jump in with them. And sometimes just knowing they’re out there doing it is enough to get you to do it. Or find an accountability partner, someone you can talk to and count on to help you through the tough days.

Practical Stuff

All the mindset stuff is so important. Dip yourself in that mindset stuff each day. But there are also practical things that can help you through the day-to-day routines and set you up for success…

♥    Schedule it in. I’m not much of a planner. I am better at loving planners and buying planners than I am at actually writing in planners consistently. But look at your calendar or planner and make time for what you want. If you want to start exercising, pick a time. Ideally, it would be the same time each day- you’ll be more likely to stick with it. And ideally, it would be first thing in the morning- but if exercise sounds horrific enough without throwing the word “morning” into the mix, I get it. Look at the week ahead and decide when you’re going to make it happen. The same goes for other goals- when are you going to make time for it? Not find time, make time.

♥    Clean up your environment. If you’re looking to get healthier- no junk food in the house. If you’re looking to write a novel, make a space for it.

♥    Daily routines. Create daily tasks that will make it easier for you to do what you have to do. Set up a morning routine and a nighttime routine.

♥    Make it easier. Lay out your clothes, fill your water bottle. Meal prep. Gather your materials.

♥    Take care of yourself. General self-care will help you no matter what your goals are. Eat right, take care of your body, get enough sleep. When you’re rested and healthy you’re in a better position to do what you need to do to meet those goals.

Don’t count on that initial spark to carry you through to your goal. Motivation wavers; commitment carries you through the lulls. Immerse yourself in motivation.

Do things each day that will keep you going.

People who lose 50 pounds, start a business, learn how to surf, get certified to teach yoga, write a book- they don’t do those things, they don’t reach those goals, because of their initial motivation.

They reach those goals because they committed to them and they found ways to motivate themselves even when they didn’t feel motivated. They found ways to create momentum moving forward, even when daily desire might lag. And they found the discipline and grit they needed to do it when motivation wouldn’t come.

What goal are you working toward? How do you stay motivated? I’d love to hear from you!

 

 

 

 

 

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