What is motivation? Are you naturally motivated? If you’re not naturally motivated what can you do about it and how can you get yourself going?
Related: Lacking motivation? You need to hear this.
So first of all I’ll share a little story of my own. Anybody who knows me or knew me say 15 or 20 years ago would be absolutely dumbfounded to find out that I’m a not only a personal trainer but that I have my own strength and fitness studio where we have over 60 members and over 300 attendances a month. And that I teach 18 classes a week. I mean from the outside I must look like somebody who’s highly motivated but really I’m still that same girl from 15 years ago and the only way that I have achieved what I have achieved is to learn how to get motivated.
Let’s unpack this…
So based on certain personality tests that exist there are people who are internally motivated and people who are externally motivated.
(Note: I couldn’t remember the name of the most recent test I did on the video but it is called Enneagram and you can take the test for FREE on the internet here: https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test)
What I learned from taking these tests and learning about habits and motivation is that some of us are internally motivated. That’s to say, there are people who when they want to achieve something know that they just have to set a plan, set a course of action and they are motivated within themselves enough to just go ahead and get it done.
And then there’s the other group of externally motivated people.
So how would you know if you’re an externally motivated person? Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Will you do something for somebody else quicker than you’ll do it for yourself?
- Will you do something if you know that somebody else is waiting on you?
- Are you more likely to do something if you have a buddy or somebody that’s turning up with you?
- Is there a deadline you’re more sensitive to because somebody else’s self-imposed that deadline like you have to do it by a certain time because somebody said that?
Answer Yes to any or all of these and guess what? You are externally motivated like me!
So now you know this, what do you do if you’re more likely to be externally motivated and you’re not feeling motivated?
If you have goals – maybe you want to look after your health, change your body shape, have more energy, be a better parent, mum, partner, friend, have a better job, going for the new promotion or any of those sorts of things are goals- you need to figure out a way to be motivated to achieve them.
How do you get your butt off the sofa to go for a run, go to the gym on a regular basis, work on that report, get up and do that meal prep and all the things you know you need to do?
Here are some key tips of what to do if you’re not motivated and think you are more externally motivated as a person:
I don’t believe that you can turn yourself into an internally motivated person. I don’t think that’s the way it works but when you know yourself you can set your environment, your circle, your habits, and your day up for success.
#1 You need to find your greater why of why you’re doing what you’re doing.
So more often than not when we set goals we generally set them to FIX something. We are too fat, too lazy, not healthy… we need to fix problems and honestly that is starting off from a negative energy and negative motivation point.
So rather than focusing on what needs to be fixed you need to focus on something that’s bigger and beyond yourself. Something inspirational and even emotional.
If you’re a woman and maybe if you’re a mum you may focus that around your family. This can look like: “I want to show up better as an exceptional parent”, “I want to show up better as an exceptional mum”, “I want to have the energy to run around after my kids”, “I want to live a long and healthy life so I’m there for every single one of their milestones”.
These are my personal external motivations.
Next, you have to set up your environment so this is where you need both a community of support and an accountability buddy.
#2 Get an Accountability Partner
So there is a reason why a lot of us who are externally motivated and have fitness or weightloss goals tend to get a personal trainer! They are the ultimate accountability partner- they push you, they tell you what to do, they don’t allow you to slack off.
But you could also achieve this with a workout buddy.
I couldn’t tell you the last time I went to the gym by myself. I would say 80% of the time that I’ve ever gone to the gym it’s been either to attend a personal training session or to go with a buddy and that’s just who I am. That’s why I’ve generally joined gyms that my friends are at and I get them to come and work out with me and that’s just the way that it is but that has made me very successful.
When I have a programme, a trainer or a workout buddy I am 100% more likely to stick to my goals and build great habits.
However, that requires that you have to coordinate with your friend and pay for a personal trainer.
#3 You need to have a community that will offer support and hold you accountable.
There have been many studies on the power of a circle of women and community in improving your chances of success when it comes to Body Shape and Lifestyle change.
The sense that ‘we’re all in it together’ “we got you” “you understand me”.
Whether it is for body shape change, lifestyle change or any sort of change or transformation, having that accountability is really important.
This is why we created Warrior Goddess Kettlebell Training as Personal Group Training with small groups of women attending classes at a time. They get to know each other and the groups are small enough that I know everyone’s name and their goals.
It’s that sense of encouragement and accountability of everyone getting to know eachother and what they are working towards, where you want to push yourself because somebody else is pushing themselves. You’re inspired by the work that they’re doing. You turn up because they’re waiting for you or they know when you’re not there and that’s what provides that accountability support.
It’s actually been scientifically proven that you’re 90 percent more likely to follow through on any sort of transformation with a community environment.
This is what we have created with our Online 28-day beginners programme who have access to our Tribe community Facebook group with over 300 like minded ladies in it.
We post, comment and interact on a regular basis there. We let each other know when we’re not able to turn up, we let each other know when we’ve done certain things and that has been one of the most amazing things that I think social media can do is bringing that sense of accountability and community together.
#4 Declare your Goals
If you’re more externally motivated or if you just don’t feel motivated like me, the best thing for you to do is to profess your goals to the world! Personally, I have to put it all out there to people that are close to me so that they know that I have this thing going on.
This means they will also hold me accountable. If you have good friends and people in your circle that are rooting for you, when they see you do something opposite to your goals, they may draw your attention to it which ultimately steers you back in the right direction.
The question here is how do you want people to see you? Do you want people to see you as a reliable person? As a person who follows through what they say they’re gonna do? Or as a person who doesn’t walk the talk?
So those are the four things to help you to be more internally motivated. Are you willing to put these tips into action?
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