"The
4 Secrets for Staying Motivated"
by Frederic Patenaude
One of the biggest problems most people
face is keeping the motivation to stick
with any diet or exercise program, or
other positive habit. It could be one
of several things, such as:
- Staying on the diet you know is best
for you.
- Giving your body the daily exercise
it needs.
- Improving your exercise routine by
adding new elements to it.
- Getting enough sleep.
- Staying organized and focused.
- Completing projects.
- Applying the information you've paid
to learn!
I've found over the years that while
reading a book or going to a seminar
might give you a quick boost of inspiration,
it's usually not enough to do the necessary
steps day after day to REALLY get the
results that you desire.
It's one thing to KNOW what to do, but
it's another thing to actually DO it!
So here are some important “secrets”
for staying motivated, no matter what
you try to accomplish.
#1: Set Your Intentions
You need to set specific intentions
(or goals) that will help you get where
you want to go.
For example, just saying that you want
to “get in shape” will only
get you so far. You want to have specific,
measurable steps that will help you
get there, such as:
- Do at least 10 minutes of cardio every
day.
- Go to a yoga class once a week
- Go to the gym at least twice a week
By taking each of your big goals (getting
in shape, eating a raw-food diet or
eating well, etc.) and breaking them
down into specific intentions that are
ACTIONS you can take either once or
on an ongoing basis, you will have a
great plan to help you succeed. You
also need to write them down.
#2: Make Your Intentions Achievable
The problem most people make when they
set their intentions is they make them
too difficult to achieve! They say,
“I'm gonna run everyday for 30
minutes” when they haven't been
doing it for months!
Here's an important piece of wisdom:
“Goals that are set too high are
invitations for making excuses.”
Make your intentions small and achievable
at first. Once you've succeeded, then
add to them or revise them. Don't set
yourself up for failure by making your
intentions too big at first.
#3: Get a Success Buddy
Ok, you may have a clear idea of what
you need to do. You may have even written
down your intentions as I described
above. But when YOU are the only source
of motivation, what may happen is that
you won't take it seriously enough and
won't FOLLOW THROUGH.
So the next secret is you need to be
accountable to somebody for following
through on your intentions. You need
a “success buddy,” or a
coach, or both!
A success buddy is a person with whom
you share your intentions and who shares
his or her intentions with you. That
way you are accountable to somebody.
Your success buddy can be your best
friend, your spouse, or just an Internet
buddy. But what's important is that
you check with her on a regular basis.
In your meetings, either in person,
by phone or by e-mail, you'll check
in with each other to find out how you
followed through with your intentions,
and what you intend to do to improve
before your next meeting.
This concept may be new to you, but
I guarantee it is highly effective.
All it takes is asking somebody, “Would
you be interested in helping each other
follow through with our commitments?”
#4: Get Ongoing Support
You may be reading this article thinking
to yourself, “Wow, this makes
a lot of sense,” and then do nothing
about it. Why? You need more support.
You need ongoing support.
The best athletes in the world have
coaches. The best artists in the world
have teachers. Even the best trainers
in the world have their own trainers.
Even if you're not a top-athlete, you
also need ongoing support. There are
several sources of support available,
such as:
- Coaching programs, or life coaches.
- E-Zines and publications such as Pure
Health & Nutrition.
- Live seminars or teleseminars.
- Internet forums.
- Online programs that offer support.
The beauty of coaching is that your
coach will not only help you succeed
with your goals and intentions, but
will also help you *celebrate* all the
progress you've made already, which
we often tend to forget!
Whenever you can, get the support you
need to help you succeed, in your health
or in your life. You will be surprised
by how far you can go.
Want to Use This Article In Your Website or E-Zine? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it: “Frederic Patenaude, is the author of the best-selling e-book "The Raw Secrets". He is currently giving away free access to his private library of over 100 exclusive articles along with a subscription to his newsletter Pure Health & Nutrition. Visit http://www.fredericpatenaude.com while charter subscriptions last.”