Hey everyone! Hope you're having a great start to the weekend! I was thinking a lot about motivation over the past few days and how some people perceive the everyday world and how that perception affects their motivation to follow-through on their goals in life.
One thing that I've noticed, which I think is directly relevant to everyone and every goal is how 2 different people may perceive the same object or obstacle and how that affects their motivation.
For example, person A, who has trouble following their diet tends to see a desirable piece of food (like a pizza) and decides that they would love to eat that pizza. "I'll just have 1 slice, and I worked really hard in the gym today!" The slice just looks so good, and the cheese is still hot and there's spinach in the crust!! How could anyone resist something so desirable!?
Person A perceives eating that pizza like it's the last time they could ever get a slice again! Person A looks for all of the reasons why they should give-in and let themselves have a slice.
Person B has a different perception of the pizza. When person B sees the pizza, they realize that it's desirable, but then they decide to change their perceptions and list all of the reasons why they shouldn't eat that slice of pizza. "It'll put my calories over the limit today. 1 slice will only make me want another slice afterwards, I won't be satisfied! Eating this slice of pizza is a few minutes of satisfaction, but staying on my diet and losing weight will give me satisfaction for the entire summer!"
Person B percieves eating that pizza like it's the enemy to their goals. Person B looks for all of the reasons why they shouldn't eat the pizza and why they should stick to their diet and have follow-through.
Sometimes, staying on track toward whatever goal it is that you want to achieve is as easy as changing your perspective towards the positive reasons why you should do one thing instead of the other.
I feel like I hear people say that certain people just naturally have more willpower than others and that they have more internal motivation, which means they're somehow "specially wired" to be successful... I think this is just an excuse that people make for why they're not following through on their own goals. I think that motivation and willpower all comes down to the story that you tell yourself. If you constantly tell yourself the wrong story, then you're likely to keep making the wrong decision.
Tell yourself a better story and you'll find it a lot easier to stick to your habits and achieve your goals!
Day 25 Log:
Weigh-In:
| Start Weight (lbs) | Goal Weight (lbs) | Weight Lost (lbs) |
|---|---|---|
| 198 | 173 | 13 |
| Today's Weight (lbs) | Fat Mass (%) | Body Mass BMI |
|---|---|---|
| 185 | 20 | 19.9 |
Workout:
Off Day
Here's the Question of The Day, don't forget to post your answers in the comments!
QOTD: You may not have thought of perspective as being a tool for increasing your internal motivation, do you think you can change your perspective and leverage it to help you achieve your goals whether they are fitness related or anything else?
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave your thoughts below and I look forward to seeing you in the comments!
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