Motivation - The Fire or the Fuel?
If you are thinking about becoming involved in an exercise program, chances are, you may be questioning your levels of motivation and reflecting on previous experiences. This may include those times that you were not able to establish a particular activity as a regular practice (such as physical activity) perhaps put down to ‘a lack of motivation’.
But what exactly is motivation? Should it be the only straw we cling to for success?
And what impact does accountability play in whether one sticks at something long enough to make it a routine habit? Can accountability support motivation?
Motivation - Why Won’t it Stay?
Perhaps we first need to critique what our concept of motivation is. For many, motivation is seen as the fuel to perform a task. I prefer to think of Motivation as the underlying REASON for pursuing a task. NOT the fuel that makes it happen. I believe that the Motivating factor/s are the WHY I am doing a particular task, which make me plan to make it happen, which requires my commitment (such as scheduling) to ensure that it does.
As defined by the Oxford English Dictionary - The (conscious or unconscious) stimulus for action towards a desired goal, esp. as resulting from psychological or social factors; the factors giving purpose or direction to human or animal behaviour.
Now while this may sound like it fits the bill appropriately, the challenge often voiced by many is, Why does it wane? Why am I motivated some days more than others? If my goal has not changed, why do I experience peaks and troughs in motivation?
The questions above are great questions for reflection and in fact, they provide an opportunity to take stock of any potential influencing factors that we may be experiencing in our life. It may be time to review the goal itself for authenticity and other possibilities exerting their influence upon us.
Now if your goal is true to you, is it really motivation that is waning or is it life pressing its influence upon you?
Checkin with your Motivation.
Factors such as health, stress, fatigue, family and work commitments can all contribute to resistance, however, your underlying motivation is likely still there (providing your WHY is true to you). Perhaps it is buried underneath the process of normal functioning life.
At this point, it is important to have the tools to circle back around and checkin on our motivating factor - our WHY.
Here are a few items that help to create a checklist to determine if your motivating factor is still relevant.
If your goal is small enough to attain daily, the following points may help you to identify if your motivating WHY is true (authentic) to you as an individual is it worth your time and effort.
Noticing how you feel about your WHY can play a part in determining if it is worthwhile to you. Say it out loud and see how it feels, then say it out loud in the opposite form and see how that feels. Example - Physical Activity - I would like to improve my health so that I can improve my blood sugar levels. The opposite - I am happy with increasing blood sugar levels and settling for poor health as a result of that.
Now that you have established a WHY and it feels good and it feels like it should be a priority for me/those around me it is time to answer the following. Am I prepared to make a commitment, a promise to myself and perhaps someone else? Am I prepared to pursue this in a methodical, step by step approach? I will review my daily schedule and slot it in as a PRIORITY.
Prioritization - This is a big one. By prioritizing your goal, you keep your WHY at the front and centre of mind, pushing aside distractions, continually reinforcing the value of your goal and the underlying motivation. Example - Walking - 5am, I am so tired but if I get up now and get my walk done, I won’t have to worry about doing it later… which likely won’t happen - it won’t get done at all today…
Expect challenges/resistance from the onset. Things won’t always go smoothly but acknowledging that there may be challenges along the way will prepare you for when they actually do happen. Example - The Weather - Its too cold, too icy, too hot, too dark, too sunny, too windy.
Ask yourself ‘Am I confident in taking the steps necessary to attain my goal?’ It may be that you need some help from a professional who can offer support and also Accountability when you need that little bit extra to keep going. Your Health/Exercise professional is also a personal manager of sorts, guiding you with your current level of health in mind and perhaps correct techniques.
Realistically, there is a myriad of influences that can make it seem as though motivation has walked out the door, but reviewing the above can recalibrate the focus on your reason WHY.
At the core is motivation.
How will Accountability help me?
Defined as the quality or state of being accountable especially: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions.
A high-value accountability transaction that one can pledge, is to their health/exercise provider. The value of having an accountability partner speaks volumes in having you remain on track with your goal attainment and as we have seen above, when life begins to exert its pressures and soften our focus from our originating why/motivation, having someone in your corner to help you is a formula for success. Isn’t that a worthwhile investment?
The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) did a study on accountability and found that if you have a specific accountability appointment with a person, you will increase your chance of success by up to 95%. If that is true, that’s a pretty big deal!
These days accountability support is available in many forms with the advances of technology (including GoGet.Fit - yes it is a plug - what can I say, I believe in what we do and the success people have demonstrated).
These programs can be totally within reach, even free (in the case of GoGet.Fit) and have a huge impact on you actually getting to where you need to go. Toward the direction of your goals in alignment with and in support of your WHY/Motivations.
Essentially, if we want to give ourselves the best chance of playing well during this game of life, redefining what motivation is coupled with a methodical approach and an accountability partner makes sense, be it human or technology.
Support systems make a huge difference in the outcomes of walking the path that supports your Why aka motivating factor. As stated above in the definition, pursuing your WHY is a behaviour that gives purpose and direction to your life.
In summary, consider how you think about motivation.
Motivation is your WHY (the fireplace with the fuel).
Acceptance of your motivator creates commitment = purpose and direction (organised fuel).
Commitment and Accountability acted upon creates habits (sparks > flames).
Habits create success (fire).
Remember, everything comes at a cost. The question is, what should you drop down the priority list to stay true to your motivating factor?