By Amanda Aguzzi
August 28th, 2019
Scroll through your social media and you’ll see a highlight reel of happy, positive people who put in the work day in and day out.
Everyone seems to be motivated.
Really, really motivated.
Motivated people are the ones who take it to the next level and get things done. They are productive and successful in crushing their goals.
The truth is though, none of us are truly and intrinsically motivated all the time. It’s just not possible. In fact, motivation theorists actually suggest that motivation is a learned rather than innate behavior. So how come some people seem to be killing it all the time?
The secret is that most motivated people achieve success by using certain tools and beliefs.
These three simple tools will help you grab hold of that motivation and close the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
1. Make it a habit.
We can’t rely on ourselves to be motivated all the time. Things happen, feelings change and there are days we may be tired or overwhelmed. But we can rely on habit. When something becomes a habit, it becomes second nature. We don’t think about it, we just do it. After graduating college, I made sure to make it a habit to go to the gym every weekday after work. This way, when 6pm rolled around and I was tired and drained from a busy day, I didn’t need to decide if I was feeling up for the gym. I didn’t need to think about how tired I was. All I needed was to drink my NutraBio preworkout, grab my gym bag and keep it moving. I had created a habit.
2. Know your "why"
Always know your “why.” When you’re stuck or when you’re feeling anything but motivated, remind yourself of your “why”. This is the bigger picture. This is the reason you’re doing what you're doing. Your “why” helps justify all of the pain and challenges you may face along the way. When I think about my “why,” I know that cheating my diet will only make the end result of a lean, built physique that much harder to obtain.
3. Use positive affirmations
Our inner self talk has a tendency to highlight fear and self doubt. We tell ourselves I can’t all the time and sometimes we don’t even notice it. Highly motivated people may still have these thoughts, the secret is that they know how to shut them down. Recognizing negative self talk and understanding how to positively charge your thoughts is key. Give yourself a pep talk. Turn “I can’t” into “I can!” Create a positive affirmation that works for you like, “I am capable. I am strong. I am beautiful.” Repeat that affirmation over and over again and you will feel the shift. That shift is what will motivate you to get after your goal!