Staying Motivated for a Healthy and Balanced Lifestyle
- mae
- Mar 19, 2022
- 3 min read
Working on your goals may seem fun in the beginning, but over time, you lose that initial motivation. I have experienced this dilemma more times than I can count, but these past few months, from the end of 2021 to where we are now in 2022, have been a time where I reflected, learned, and decided that achieving goals is nothing about motivation.
Sometimes we must push ourselves (even when we do not feel like it) to keep doing the smaller tasks that will help us achieve our larger goals, and this is where discipline comes into play.
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#1: The Drastic Difference Between Motivation and Discipline
Achieving your goals, building a "that person" lifestyle, leading a healthy, balanced, minimalistic life...these are some of the many trends that have taken over social media. However, these trends do not last forever, the same way motivation does not last forever. But how do we break away from the system of losing our drive to achieve these goals?
"Motivation produces emotion, but discipline produces results. Motivation is temporary, but discipline perseveres. Motivation fades after time, but discipline grows after time. Motivation is an event, but discipline is a lifestyle." - Linked In
#2: The Moment When You Feel Like Giving Up Is The Sign To Keep Going
When the excitement, the rush, the feeling of taking on the world diminishes, you are left with no motivation to continue. You may feel tired, frustrated, or even bored. These feelings are the exact signs to keep going. Keep pushing yourself. Keep it up. The road ahead may be a little less straightforward, but the destination is the same, right? It is the destination that you wanted to go to in the first place, so do not let the winding road change your perception of that. When you keep going, you endure the twists and turns, and as a result, you practice true discipline.
#3: Remember the Importance of Time and Believing in Yourself
Every day, we have 24 hours to work towards our goals and complete the tasks we currently need to finish. Your actions today set you up for success tomorrow.
For example, let's say you are a student. You used your free time in and after school to complete your homework. You eat dinner and...scroll on your phone? Or do you study for an upcoming test because you set a goal for yourself to bring up your grades this semester? You must believe that, as long as you try your best and put in the effort, you will achieve your goals. Plus, anytime you put in effort, you will always gain better results from when you did not put in effort.
Another example: You are an employee working a full-time job. You want to lead a healthier lifestyle, incorporating exercise and balanced eating. It is Sunday, and you have the day off. Do you scroll on social media and spend the day in bed? Or do you create your workout and meal plan/meal prep for the week? How you use your time impacts the achievement of your goals.
Ultimately, discipline, time management, and belief in yourself is all you really need to achieve your goals. I know it is easy to get distracted (trust me, I know the struggle...I am a high school student, a teenager addicted to social media, and someone who looks at her phone after every little notification sound). I still sometimes struggle to choose discipline over motivation, but when I do choose discipline, that feeling of gratification always overrides that feeling of temporary motivation.
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