Do you really need more motivation or is it inspiration?

You may think you need more motivation. What you really need is more inspiration.

Motivation is typically an outside-in type of approach to getting you to do something; extrinsic motivation. Sometimes that might be a friend or personal trainer motivating you to go to your gym session, or eat more healthy food, or weight loss competition prize. Intrinsic motivation is the inner striving to be competent or to excel at something. (I find a lot of intrinsic motivation in improving in my yoga practice for example) There is nothing wrong with wanting or creating more motivation for yourself, however often the deeper problem is that there is little inspiration.

Inspiration is a feeling of wanting to do something, either for the joy of doing it, or because you connect deeply with the larger purpose of that action and feel internally compelled to do it.

Values & Inspiration

You have a hierarchy of values. Things that are most important to you and things that are least important to you. You classify these things in a clear order from most important to least important. You may not be aware of your values hierarchy at all, unless you do an exercise to discover what they are. You will find that those things that are highest on your values you will be inspired to do. For example, if your family is one of your highest values, then no-one has to tell you to get up and feed your children, or take them to school. Even when you are tired and grumpy, you are internally compelled to act for them because you care so deeply about them. The higher purpose of caring for them compels you to overcome your tiredness and get on with it.

Those things that are lower on our values are the things that we put off and complain we need more motivation to do. Those lower priorities will always be trumped by the higher ones. If you struggle to get to the gym and find that “something always comes up” or you “never have enough money” to pay for a membership or get organic, healthy food, then it is likely that health & fitness is not a high priority for you. This is not right or wrong. It simply is an expression of your current values. The things you do have time and money for are those things that are higher on your values.

So, if you want to change your results, and get more inspiration with your health and fitness, you need to raise it up on your values at least to the top 5.

If you want to increase your intrinsic motivation, (which is the more self-directed and lasting motivation) you will need to increase your value on excellence or achievement or determination, whichever words resonate with you the most.

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Tips to increase your inspiration for health & fitness…

1. Create a vision board or screensaver with images that inspire.

This is a simple and fun thing to do to remind you daily of your goals and inspirations. Collate inspiring pictures into a collage of images, inspiring quotes, sayings and stick them together on a board, to look at each day.

2. List your reasons why you want to achieve better health & fitness.

Listing your reasons why achieving better health & fitness will improve your life and make it better will help to raise the value up in your hierarchy. It will make it more important in your mind. List at least 100 reasons why your life would be better if your health was better.

3. Give yourself permission to go for (and get) the results.

Millions of people over the world have overcome incredible obstacles and still managed to get fit and healthy. You can too. Give yourself permission to achieve the results, and you will find yourself more inspired to take the action required.

4. Read books & biographies, watch movies of inspiring true stories.

When you read or watch incredible true stories of overcoming amazing adversity and challenges, you can’t help but be inspired and think: if they can overcome that, I can overcome this!

Here’s a couple of incredible stories you might like to get you started…

• It’s not what happens to you. It’s what you do about it” – W Mitchell – This incredible man endured two horrific accidents leaving him paralysed, and burnt beyond recognition, he endured excruciating pain to heal from those accidents and has gone on to live an inspiring and successful life.
• It’s not about the bike. My journey back to life – Lance Armstrong – Inspiring Lance Armstrong recounts his incredible story overcoming cancer and the gruelling training for his consecutive Tour de France wins.
• Mans Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl – Viktor Frankl endured the Nazi death camps between 1942- 1945, all of his family perished within the walls. He recounts a story of enabling himself to endure the tortures by imagining himself teaching the lessons he learnt in the future, after he survived.

What are your tips for more inspiration?

Share your own inspiring story below, or share what books, or movies inspired you.

Live event to Inspire you.

Check out the next Elevate Events event to help you get inspired, learn new strategies for a healthy and successful life and also meet other wonderful inspiring women.