Day 16 is about staying motivated by looking at how far you have come.
Sometimes goals and resolutions can get really hard, but maintaining the necessary levels of motivation to keep moving forward can be done in a number of ways. Motivating yourself can be as simple as tricking your brain into seeing things in a new way. One of the best ways to gain fresh perspective is actually to examine your past. While many believe the past is best left behind, taking a look back can be incredibly useful when you purposefully pull out the good things. Let’s look at how you can stay motivated by looking at how far you’ve come.
Examine Your Past
You can start by looking at the goal or resolution you are currently pursuing to find examples of times you have moved forward along this path. For example, if you have hit a plateau in your weight loss, look back on the ways you have been successful on your journey so far. Reminding yourself of these weight loss accomplishments can give you the resolve to tackle the obstacle you are up against.
If you are finding it difficult just starting out and you do not have successes to pull from with regard to your newest goal, you will need to take a different approach. This one involves finding other areas in your life in which you have already had success and overcome difficulties. While that time may not be the same as this current challenge, this kind of self-examination lets you know that you have done hard things before. It gives you the confidence to know you can do them again.
Write It Down
Once you have started thinking of the times in which you have been successful in the past, write them down as evidence you can return to during tough times. Record the past triumphs related to your current goal, but also choose other accomplishments of which you are especially proud. You may even want to consider adding photos of certificates and awards or congratulatory notes. These can be a great addition to your file of visual reminders.
Do not stop there. If you want to keep the motivation going and continue to see the worth in your current pursuits, it is a good idea to keep a weekly record of small things you do well. Include tasks you accomplish for work, small triumphs in your personal life or projects you have taken care of around the house. Doing so can be a powerful confidence booster for when you are not feeling that great about your potential.
Make a Plan
Finally, you will want to use the evidence you collect as a resource for making a plan to attack your current struggle. Going back to our hypothetical weight loss plateau, you could review the goals you have accomplished already on the road to becoming more fit. Write down the tangible steps you took to get there and then take it farther by making a list of the types of personal strengths you utilized to make those goals a reality.
Do the same thing by examining an unrelated accomplishment if you do not have anything relevant to the immediate task at hand. Then brainstorm ways you can use those qualities to move past this slump. You may have discovered that it was your sheer stubbornness that helped you lose those first 10 pounds or so. Some may see being stubborn as a negative, but that is not necessarily so in this case. Do not be afraid to delve deep within and to be honest about what you find. Use those discoveries to your advantage to move past your roadblock.
I hope you have an idea of how you can use past accomplishments to keep you motivated toward your goal or resolution. I have always found this to be a really empowering way to get back on track.
Why Do We Make Resolutions – Day 1
The Importance of Setting Goals – Day 2
Value of a Support System – Day 3
Motivation is Key to Progress – Day 4
Measure Your Progress – Day 5
How to Make Resolutions Stick – Day 6
Are You Making Smart Goals – Day 7
How Habits and Routines Can Help You Stick to Your Resolutions – Day 8
Don’t Go It Alone – The Value of a Support System – Day 9
Motivation Is Key – Keeping Your “Why” Front and Center – Day 10
The Value of Measuring Your Progress Along the Way – Day 11
A Journal Can Be a Powerful Tool for Goals and Resolutions – Day 12
Success Tip – Don’t Try to Change Too Much at Once – Day 13
Kick Overwhelm to the Curb by Breaking It Down into Baby Steps – Day 14
Break It Down – From Resolution to Daily Task – Day 15
