Written by: Jenn Taylor, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
If you're 6-months into your New Year goals and that piece of paper has fallen off the fridge, or you stopped going to the gym or feel like your motivation and momentum have slowed, I have eight steps to help boost your motivation.
Have a plan, and be specific.
Your goals can't be “I want to work out” or “I want to lose weight.” They should be written, “I'm going to take three classes at the gym a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays,” or “I want to lose 20 pounds by this date, and here is my food plan”. Goals need to be specific.
Remember that momentum is hard to get going.
Elicit help if needed (a gym membership, classes you have to pay for, etc..). An accountability partner is one of my favorite motivators.
Break your goals down into small steps.
You can't eat an elephant in one bite is one of my favorite quotes. Break your larger goals into small steps.
Remember that you have a purpose.
You’re reinventing or rekindling a passion. There are why's to goals. Why do you want to lose 20 pounds? Why are you working out? Why do you want to earn more? So that you can be more active with your kids? To take a trip you’ve wanted to plan? Choose a specific why.
Revisit your goals.
It’s not uncommon to make the assumption that you have failed or given up on goals when really all you need to do is revisit and pivot the goal. Don't be too hard on yourself - pivoting the goal and changing over time is normal when setting goals. It doesn't mean that you gave up or didn't accomplish something. It means that you had to make changes, and changes aren’t necessarily a bad thing.
Have a support system.
This is so huge. Accountability is vital, and you need to share your struggles and successes with your support system. In the beginning, it can feel like you don’t know how you are ever going to get to the end, and that support system is for acknowledging how far you've come. We tend to look at how far we need to go - like, “oh my gosh, I have so long to go,” but we don't often look back over our shoulders at how far we've come.
Love what you do and do what you love.
If it’s exercise, and you chose walking, and you hate to walk, but you love Zumba, why aren’t you doing Zumba? Don't do things that you don't like - you're setting yourself up not to do well. Goals are hard, but you can still make them fun.
There's no failure, only feedback.
This is one of my favorite sayings. We’re really, really hard on ourselves. Remember - there's no failure, only feedback. When you miss something or take a couple of days off, or you're struggling, if you think about it as feedback, instead of saying, “I messed up, I failed,” you can instead become curious about why, what it means, decide if you need to pivot and move forward.
There are so many more suggestions than 8 tips on how to stay motivated with your goal. Let me know how you stay focused on your goals! I can’t wait to hear from you.
Jenn Taylor, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jenn Taylor is Mom Of 18 (yes, 18 kids!), a Transformational Coach for Christian Women, and the host of At A Crossroads with The Naked Podcaster - a 4-year podcast to uplift others in their struggles. Her goal is to help others get through life’s struggles faster, easier, and with more support (and joy!).
Jenn is also a motivational speaker, has written the blog "Mom’s Running It" for over 9 years, and is a published author of a self-help memoir "Hello, My Name Is... Warrior Princess" - which she will email to you as a pdf for free. She is also married to an amazing man in Reno, NV, is a runner, minimalist, and healthy lifestyle enthusiast.
If you’ve attended events or heard speakers in the past and gotten excited about making changes only to return home and have felt frustrated at not knowing how to implement the information, you’ll love working with Jenn!
