Mind Focus - What motivates you?

One thing that I think we can all agree on is that to lose weight, we need to get motivated and stay motivated. But knowing that and doing that are two completely different things. Why is it so hard to get and keep motivated sometimes? That’s a good question. One that I have asked myself many times, as well. I wanted to write about it this week for that very reason. I wanted to dig deeper and do some research into what motivates people. What I found was very informative and helpful and I intend to use it to help me.

The two factors that I recognize a lot within weight loss are Intrinsic Motivation and Extrinsic Motivation.

Intrinsic Motivation: Internal desires to perform a particular task, people do certain activities because it gives them pleasure, develops a particular skill, or it’s morally the right thing to do.

Extrinsic Motivation: This is external inducement, such as rewards, grades, recognition, or money. Factors external to the individual and unrelated to the task they are performing. 

Maybe you can already see how this plays a factor into the different motivations used in weight loss. My first impressions were of the differences between the lasting success of clients and the temporary success.

Clients who develop lasting success usually develop some sort of internal shift. The shift wasn’t motivated by reaching a finish line anymore. They gained a sense of inner growth and understanding, which cannot be measured by a final outcome. This wasn’t about getting thinner anymore, it was prompted by a higher motive. For some it‘s related to mortality and longevity. They wanted to live longer & embrace the freedom that comes with good physical health. Weight Loss is a means to an end. In a newsletter several months ago, I mentioned Marylou Henner, the actress. I talked about how she had an awakening in regards to her own health and weight. She witnessed the struggle her parents had with diabetes and because of her own battle with weight, she became determined to learn more about health and nutrition. Her motivation became Intrinsic because she did it out of moral reasons. It became a mission for her to fully understand and a life shift occurred internally. She remains transformed today because her motivations were never planted on a external outcome, which when reached, gives a temporary reward.

Now let’s talk about Extrinsic Motivation and weight loss. This is where most of us put our motivation. It’s not that Extrinsic motivating factors don’t work, it’s that they don’t last unless shifted at some point to an Intrinsic motivating factor. The weight loss industry is notorious for putting the emphasis on these external motivations. Getting into a smaller size or looking good for a high school reunion or a wedding are some examples. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with using external motivators to help you along your way, but if you are putting your end goal as an extrinsic motivation, then you probably won’t be satisfied for long. You can only do something that you wouldn’t normally do for awhile before you’ll abandon it for what you would rather be doing. The change has to come from the core. It has to come from the heart. I referenced this in my last newsletter when I discussed developing higher motives. Even an athlete can regress back into a sedentary lifestyle if their motives were just about winning. They will not live the life of a true champion until they change their motives to a higher reason for continuing that lifestyle.

To sum it up, I urge you to think about what your motivations have been. Reflect on what long term successes you have had in your life and I’m not talking about weight loss. I want you to look at situations that really produced a lasting change for you. Analyze your motives in those cases. My suspicion is that you will see that you had an Intrinsic motivation not Extrinsic. A personal example of this is with my studying the scriptures and reading. I used to struggle so bad with this. I knew I should read the scriptures and I knew I should read books, but every time I set out to accomplish a new goal in these areas, I found myself stopping. It wasn’t until I went through some painful experiences that I WANTED TO LEARN from the scriptures. I needed them like water to quench my thirst. I absorbed them willingly and found comfort and wisdom there. Likewise with my choice of encouraging books. Now I get up early every morning to pursue this because I have a motivation that comes from a deeper place. I don’t do it because I am told that I should. I really love doing it.

One more thing. Even if you try something for the wrong reasons, you might end with the right ones, so never stop trying to accomplish a worthwhile task, no matter what it is. Higher purposes can be revealed to you along the journey. Keep your eyes open and alert to finding higher motives in any worthy pursuit and then try to develop them into your whole being. This will produce the results you desire. I promise!!!