Get Motivated! 6 Steps You Can Take Now To Hit Your Goal

By Jack Thomas

After 8 years in the industry I’ve worked hundreds of clients and with many different types of people.

Through the 40-50 coaches that I’ve managed and worked with. I’ve had discussions about how to help thousands of clients with every possible personality and goal you can imagine.

Some are highly self-motivated and will diligently follow their coach’s every suggestion.

Some associate exercise with pain and dread that hour of the day.

Or Some are motivated by wanting to look better.

Some are motivated by wanting to be healthier, or have had a life event such as a health scare that puts things in perspective.

Some people have deep rooted negative connotations with exercise.

And I’ve seen many develop a love for exercise who have made it a life-long habit!

After a while common habits and trends start to emerge. You start to see what works, what doesn’t work and what makes different people tick.

Based on these experiences and some discussions amongst the 16 coaches we have at BASE, here are 5 action steps you can take now to getting results and developing the habits needed for long-term success.

Hold on a moment! You have clicked on and started to read this article because you are looking for some inspiration to make some positive changes.

Before you go on, please do a little something for me – grab a pen and paper and be ready to make some notes on how you will take action on these points today.

If you get stuck at any of these stages, contact me personally and I’ll help you move to the next one.

Ready? OK, good. Let’s continue…

Write down one thing you would like to achieve with your health and fitness (it can even be other things like career or personal goals). It must be one – if you’re struggling for motivation then choosing multiple goals will complicate the journey.

I want you to dream big – what would you eventually like to achieve.

Under each one write down why this goal is important to you. Go into as much detail as possible.

For each goal, write 3 small actionable steps you can take to help you start. Make these steps all about the process it takes to get there.

Make them small and realistic.

Here are some examples:

Eventual goal: Lose 8kg of body fat
Small steps: Walk the dog every morning for 20 minutes, eat 3 servings of vegetables every day, start the day with a big glass of water.

Eventual goal: Run a Spartan Race
Small steps: Go for a 2km jog/walk/run twice a week, do 30 bodyweight squats in the morning before work, every other day hold a plank position for as long as you can.

Pick a date when you will start healthier, stronger habits by actioning your 3 small, actionable steps. It doesn’t need to be ‘now’ or tomorrow. You could strategize it to be after a holiday, for example.

Once you pick this day write it in your calendar. Make a promise to yourself that you will stick to it.

Maybe telling yourself isn’t enough, so tell someone else. Or better still, tell everyone else.

The more people you tell, the more accountability there will be and the less you’ll want to let them down.

Ideally, announce it on social media, tell everyone to check in with you every time they see you. Give them all regular updates on your progress. If you do this, it becomes difficult to quit to the point where it often doesn’t even enter your mind.

Your character is on the line, so by giving everyone your word you’ll want to follow through with it.

Sound drastic? Good – drastic times call for drastic measures and if you’ve struggled with motivation in the past it might take something like this to kickstart you into action.

?? HOLD IT! Have you written anything down yet? If not, give yourself a gentle slap on the wrist, grab a pen and paper (or open Notes on your phone) and get some of your thoughts and ideas down.

Hopefully you’re surrounded by positive people who will support you and your goals.

If you’re not, get out there and make some positive friends or find a positive coach who cares about you and seeing you get results.

If you can find someone else to join you in your journey then this is perfect – if you want to build muscle and you find someone to go to the gym with you 3 times per week then sticking to the program becomes so much easier.

Numerous studies have shown this. You don’t want to let your accountability buddy down, you can share ideas and successes and training becomes social and fun.

The first two weeks are the hardest. Once you’ve got over this hurdle and have seen some small results, it becomes easier. The further you get, the easier it becomes. Why would you want to go back when you’ve come this far?

To get through the first 2 weeks write a complete plan – on what days will you walk the dog? When will you go with your friend to the gym? What shopping will you do before day 1 to prepare you for the first day?

Once you’ve written up your 14 day plan of action, share the plan with a supportive friend or partner. Close your eyes, visualize yourself doing these tasks, taking these actions and of people asking you how your journey is going and you telling them it’s going great.

SUMMARY

This process works. I’ve had countless clients and friends do it and have done it myself many times.

When I decided to try veganism for 30 days I knew it was going to be tough. I knew will power alone might not be enough. So I announced on Facebook what I was going to do (which sparked some vigorous debate that popped up in everyone’s news feed) and wrote a blog post on it.

The 30 days had its challenges, but adherence became quite easy as I’d made a big promise not just to myself, but to everyone else.

LET’S DO THIS

By now, you should at least have your big audacious goal, your small steps, your start date and your first two week plan. This will help you make the best possible start.

If you need some more help along the way or you want to share your story of success please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you!