Focus Magazine of SWFL Cheers To Your Style | Page 72

How To Get Motivated:
4 strategies that work

By Anna Aparicio

Because here is the thing: you may have a burning desire to do
something, you may have the best will in the world, you may even
know all the reasons why you should do it… but if you haven't done
it yet, don't be surprised.
Getting motivated doesn't happen by coincidence or by miracle.
Motivation is not something that some people have and others
don't either. It is something we all do, consciously or unconsciously,
everyday!
Motivation is not something you have or don't have; it is something
you do
Take training; for example, notice I say training, and not exercising!
We want to do it, we know it is good for us, we know it is going to
make us look better and feel better… but after a hard day's work,
when tiredness sets in, who would blame us for wanting to slouch
on the couch and watch some TV while eating our favorite treat?
Well, think of taking a shower for a moment. Most of us do it every
day. We don't wait until we are all stinky to clean ourselves. We
do it because it is the right thing to do; it is time to take a shower.
We are able to do this because we have built up this good habit
over the years through repetition. We do it at the same time, in the
same place, following the same routine, which is so ingrained in our
unconscious that we are barely aware of the process.
If you want to get to the point where your training routine goes
as smoothly as your shower routine, start following the following
these rules:

1# IDENTIFY EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO DO
Answer these questions:

What do you want specifically? When do you want it by?
Where? With whom? What for? What will happen if you achieve
that? What if you don't achieve that? Is it under your control?
Is it worth it?
You see, when setting up goals, a lot of people do it wrong.
They state what they want to have, not what they want to do;
things like "I want to be slim", "I want a six pack" or "I want to
have toned arms"… But, what do you want to do? Because it is
as a result of you doing what you need to do that you will get
to have what you want.
Your objective needs to be stated in a way that your brain understands it. And just like your computer, your brain needs 3
things: affirmative statements that are direct and very specific.
If you are just thinking it then it is not an objective, it is just a
thought. So, put pen to paper and write your answers to the
questions above.

If you don't know what you want, how will you know
when you've got there?
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2 FOCUS of SWFL 2014

Again, if you don't have a plan, all you have is a lovely thought.
I suggest you get yourself a diary, an excel sheet, a calendar,
whatever works for you, and devise your personal strategy.
A strategy to suit your lifestyle, your working schedule, etc…
Keeping the end result in mind, what is the first step you need
to take in order for you to do what you need to do? And after
that? What's next? Do you have all the resources you need
(resources are materials, books, money, people…), or do you
need help?
If it's going to take you 12 weeks to get a six pack, set a date
and work backwards from there. If you want to lose a stone in
3 weeks, do the same. Break your objective into smaller, more
achievable chunks, so that this week you know exactly what
you are doing with regards to training and nutrition, and you
can focus on just that. As I tell my clients, it's one week at a
time, one day at a time.
You see, now you have more than just a