Motivation. What does it really mean? It is a word that is often used by trainers, teachers, coaches, and parents, amongst others to describe the act of stimulating someone to act in a certain way. In my world, the word motivation refers to providing people with a reason to live their lives as BEST they can by making healthy choices. I provide my clients (as well as friends and family) with reasons to eat whole, nutritious foods & stay active and fit through exercise. I provide them with statistics, knowledge, exercise programs, recipes, stories, encouragement, and other resources so that they may learn and make their decisions. It is my passion and my job to provide all of these things on a daily basis so that my clients may live their BEST lives possible.
But let me tell you, it is not always easy to keep a person motivated (including myself…I am a human, and am completely fallible regardless of my job). Motivation is easily done when a situation is optimal; there are no true obstacles, the risk is minimal and the sacrifice is almost null. When things get a little sticky, maintaining a solid level of motivation becomes MUCH more challenging. But it is precisely at this critical time when motivation is key. This is where I have found that the reasons, or MOTIVES, (get it MOTIVation??) for each person make all of the difference in the world. Working toward a goal for another person’ssatisfaction will never be a successful journey. Sacrificing time, energy, and money to meet the goals that someone else believes to be important will produce one thing: resentment. As a motivator, I realize the importance of digging into the core of each client’s being, finding what makes them “tick”, learning why they have chosen their goals, and personalizing my encouragement to make it meaningful for each person.
Motivating from this very individualized standpoint makes it much less likely that a person will give up when the going gets tough. Instead of walking away as soon as they face difficulty, they will be reminded WHY they signed up for the challenge in the first place. They will pause and remember the MOTIVE from within that has kept them at this journey day after day. And they will find the strength, courage, and will to endure even the most formidable challenge because they know the end result is of their own choosing.
So, you see, the key to motivation is that in its most effective form, it comes from within. Those outside sources- teachers, trainers, coaches, parents, friends, quotes, blogs, songs- are only helpers at delivering the message. Think about who you consider to be the Top 5 motivators in your own life…. do they know you? Are they aware of your goals, your dreams, and the reasons behind them? Chances are, they do. Continue to let them be a reflection of your bravest self, and lean on them as a reminder that you never have to do anything alone. But most importantly understand that their words, actions, support, and motivation will be most successful when you accept them as the support to your own fire within.
But let me tell you, it is not always easy to keep a person motivated (including myself…I am a human, and am completely fallible regardless of my job). Motivation is easily done when a situation is optimal; there are no true obstacles, the risk is minimal and the sacrifice is almost null. When things get a little sticky, maintaining a solid level of motivation becomes MUCH more challenging. But it is precisely at this critical time when motivation is key. This is where I have found that the reasons, or MOTIVES, (get it MOTIVation??) for each person make all of the difference in the world. Working toward a goal for another person’ssatisfaction will never be a successful journey. Sacrificing time, energy, and money to meet the goals that someone else believes to be important will produce one thing: resentment. As a motivator, I realize the importance of digging into the core of each client’s being, finding what makes them “tick”, learning why they have chosen their goals, and personalizing my encouragement to make it meaningful for each person.
Motivating from this very individualized standpoint makes it much less likely that a person will give up when the going gets tough. Instead of walking away as soon as they face difficulty, they will be reminded WHY they signed up for the challenge in the first place. They will pause and remember the MOTIVE from within that has kept them at this journey day after day. And they will find the strength, courage, and will to endure even the most formidable challenge because they know the end result is of their own choosing.
So, you see, the key to motivation is that in its most effective form, it comes from within. Those outside sources- teachers, trainers, coaches, parents, friends, quotes, blogs, songs- are only helpers at delivering the message. Think about who you consider to be the Top 5 motivators in your own life…. do they know you? Are they aware of your goals, your dreams, and the reasons behind them? Chances are, they do. Continue to let them be a reflection of your bravest self, and lean on them as a reminder that you never have to do anything alone. But most importantly understand that their words, actions, support, and motivation will be most successful when you accept them as the support to your own fire within.
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