So when I left you last, I asked you to try to figure out what motivates you, either you work towards pleasure, or you push away from pain. No right or wrong answer – you are either one or the other. Sure you can have a bit of both, but there will be one that is predominant. Once you narrow it down to which one that is, we can work to getting clearer on your goals.

Back to the definition of motivation – That Which Gives Purpose – this is the heart of the question of your reasons why you want to get to a certain weight. How will your life be better if you get to that certain weight? This is where your imagination will benefit you in getting a clear picture of how your life will be better.

Ask yourself some questions – write these answers down on a piece of paper:

Towards Pleasure

• What will you be doing?
• Who will you be doing it with?
• Where will you be?
• How will you feel when your there?
• What clothes will you be wearing or not wearing? (where is that dang giggle emoticon???)

Away From Pain

• If you don’t get to goal, what are you going to miss out on?
• What opportunities will you lose out on? Maybe the ability to enjoy healthy time with your family late into your life? Or maybe it will mean you continue to go out to restaurants and take vacations by yourself?
• How will your health deteriorate if you don’t get closer to goal?
• What does the hospital room look like where you will have to go for dialysis treatments?
• How long will it take to recover from a kidney transplant?

Doing this exercise will give you a compelling picture of how your life is going to be better if you get thinner or worse if you don’t. Cultivate and meditate on this picture until it gives you a clear sense of purpose. When that purpose is there, you will be MUCH closer to taking the necessary actions needed to get there.

Write these answers down on an index card and put it by your bed or better yet, tape it to the bathroom mirror. Every morning and every night, remind yourself why you REALLY want to get to goal. Remind yourself why you need to take action daily, what the payoff is and what the cost will be if you don’t.

Remember, every journey begins with the first step. Consider this Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

You can either comment here on my blog, using the Contact Me page, or replying to the email you got if you subscribe.

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Looking up the definition of motivation, I found this:

The psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and the condition of being motivated.

Action Toward a Desired Goal – If we are going to take action there has to be a desired goal already in place, so the first thing that must be crystal clear is the answer to this question – ‘what is your goal?’ It’s not sufficient just to say ‘I want to drop 20 pounds’ – if it was that simple then all the years we have said that would have gotten us to our goal. Maybe a better question would be ‘WHY do I REALLY want to drop 20 pounds?’ We have to keep asking ourselves that question until we have a complete and clear answer.

If you feel you are clear about your goal, then physically write it down (there is a whole other article to be written about the physical act of WRITING your goals down on a piece of paper) – when you write it, be aware of your emotions, are they stirring? Do you feel compelled to break your bad habits and kick yourself in gear to get to your goal? If not, then you need to spend a bit more time on the ‘WHY’ part of your question because the ‘Why’ is the foundation of the motivation.

There are people that are naturally motivated by pleasure (I want to look good in that cute little polka dot dress by the end of summer) while there are others that are motivated away from pain (I don’t want to be a diabetic and give myself a shot everyday) – the trick is to find out which one you are.

Tomorrow I will spend more time on the two different types of motivation and how it can help you define your goal, but for today, I would like for you to contemplate which type of motivation you prefer.

Are you one to be motivated by pleasure or away from pain? Think about it and answer.

You can either comment here on my blog, using the Contact Me page, or replying to the email you got if you subscribe.

Biz

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Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.  Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.  Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.  To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable. ~ Helen Keller

Some of us might find ourselves at times in a place where we want to just run and hide.  Whether it’s a bad work/home situation, health problems, financial issues, issues with WEIGHT CONTROL, or simply a role that is placed upon us by “destiny”, whatever it is, we are left feeling out of control.  We struggle to feel “safe” and “secure” – but the safety and security we envision is really just an illusion.

In reality the only safe and secure thing to do is to charge full speed ahead right through the very thing that terrifies us.  There is no safety so buckle up, you might as well enjoy the ride!

Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.  Make weight control an adventure instead of wanting to be on the ’safe’ side.

So tell me, what would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

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