Daily Motivation

I read a quote on Diettired Blog the other day - it was by a motivational speaker called Zig Ziglar. It said:-

“People say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we reccomend it daily”

This really strikes true for me.  I’ve always read weightloss books, I especially like the ones that deal with ways to defeat cravings using mental re-training or cognitive therapy. And I often find that my motivation is really high for a few weeks afterwards, but then it wanes.

A lot of times, the motivation comes from mantras, little sayings that stick in your head and provide the little boost that gets you through those tough cravings and moments of temptation.  For example, after reading The Thin Commandments, I found the mantra “It won’t make me happy, it will only make me heavy!” really struck a chord with me and was very effective in turning me away from off-plan eating. But after a few weeks, I forgot about it. It wasn’t floating around at the front of my head so much anymore and the motivation was gone.

A while back I realised that I had forgotten a number of really useful mantras that had helped me in the past. Actually, I hadn’t so much forgotten them as gotten out of the habit of using them. They didn’t come to me automatically anymore when I needed them, although I’m sure they would have come to mind if someone asked “What does such-and-such book say?”  The point is, you need to keep these things close, and practice them for them to be there when you really need them.

For me, the solution was a new divider labelled “Motivation” in my diet file, where I am now writing down every mantra, motivational quote, saying and concept I come across. I have made a committment to re-reading it every week when I do my meal plan, and to continue researching and adding new motivations to it.

So far it is very effective in keeping old mantras at the front of my head, where I need them, and also in making me remember new ones. I read or hear them and think, “Oh, I must write that down in my file!”

Maybe for you the solution is a notebook, or an index card in your wallet. Whatever, the principles hold true. Write down your motivations, keep them handy, read them regularly, and add to them often.