1. Create A Strong and Compelling Enough Motivation
We all need motivation to do anything, so knowing your purpose and ensuring this is compelling enough to keep you motivated is key. For example, if you’re losing weight, for what ultimate purpose are you doing this? Make this compelling and purposeful enough to really drive you.
2. Where’s your Focus Directed?
Although we’re all motivated in different ways, some of us by a carrot, some by a stick, and others a bit of both; this subsequently causes us to focus in a certain way. However, if we turn our attention to what we ‘really want’ rather than what we ‘don’t want’, achieving any goal becomes so much easier because we become focussed on that particular outcome. The nervous system also tends to respond and manifest what we focus on. This then directs the mind and body to act and behave accordingly – Giving rise to the metaphysical body whereby the mind is simply reflected in our health and well-being!
For instance, taking the example of weight loss, rather than focussing on not wanting to be a plus size, getting T2 diabetes, or feeling unhappy and down about yourself etc. focus instead on wanting to be slim, healthy, happy, and well. This will then focus your mind in a much more positive direction, and what the mind properly focus’ on, we attract more of – This is referred to as The Law of Attraction, we attract what we deep down believe and focus on, scientifically speaking in line with quantum physics… it’s worth paying attention to, as is the metaphysical body in terms of mind body medicine.
3. Belief – Visualisation – Outcome
What we deep down believe, we so often become – a little like a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s therefore one of the most important things in anything we do to have a wholehearted belief that we can do something, that we can become something, and that we do deserve it. Although beliefs and values are deeply engrained in us from the moment we’re born, if these aren’t aligned with our goals they will always cause blockages and hinder progress, however they can be worked on and changed! However, to really achieve anything fully we must be certain in terms of having deep down belief and therefore having conviction behind it.
To help materialise this belief we can very effectively utilise the power of visualisation.
Quite simply, if we visualise anything with enough detail and clarity, the unconscious mind (the part that runs and sends messages to our body on autopilot) is unable to tell the difference between what is real and not real, but this must be detailed and specific using all our senses. For instance, through using PET scan technology, it is known that the same parts of the brain are activated whether subjects are vividly imagining something or experiencing the reality of it. The nerve firing and chemical release is so similar, powerful neurotransmitters allow the mind to influence the body in the same way.
If you’ve ever had a really vivid dream and woke up either laughing, crying, or physically stimulated in some way from it; then you’ve experienced this, and that’s the power of visualisation. On which note, if you visualise your end outcome with enough detail and clarity using all your senses to make it as real as possible, you can engrain this deep into your neurology and therefore focus your mind to make it happen.
It also sounds incredibly simple and perhaps obvious, yet so many people forget to define a clear outcome. Know what you are working towards, what do you want to achieve specifically? Again, taking the weight loss resolution, it’s great to want to lose weight – but how much weight do you want to lose? What are your bench marks? How will you know when you have achieved this? When do you want to have achieved this by? What clothing size do you want to be? Etc. The more you are clear about your outcome, the better your focus and chances of success will always be.
4. Release the pressure and expectation
Rather than making yourself keep to a resolution simply see yourself as having an outcome, and make appropriate choices along the way to achieve it – So many people see resolutions as rules, and the mind often see’s rules as being there to be broken!
More often than not, the more we tell ourselves we can’t have something, the more we naturally want it. For example, you might not give picking up a Mars Bar at the supermarket check-out a second thought, but if you’re suddenly told you can’t do this, the chances are you’ll have a strong urge to do it and your mind will be distracted by it.
It’s therefore important to create choice and trust yourself to make the best decisions rather than to place stringent rules and resolutions on yourself. Give yourself something realistic to aim for that you believe you can really achieve.
5. Have a contingency plan
If you still find your motivation starting to dwindle, give yourself a break. Who said a New Year’s Resolution has to be ‘all or nothing’ and if you need a little boast, it doesn’t have to mean you’ve broken it or failed miserably. The worst thing any of us can do is totally deprive ourselves and we all need little rewards and boasts, so actually lightening up a little might be just what you need to then refocus and get back on track as you were. Create little rewards for yourself when you reach a new bench mark.
It’s also worth having a degree of flexibility with your resolution. For example, if it’s to lose weight, perhaps if you’re finding a particular regime challenging or dull, change it – your outcome is still the same to lose weight and that’s what’s important, not the ‘how’ part of the resolution. Similarly, if your resolution is to go to the gym ‘x’ times per week, focus on your ultimate purpose for this… so if the gym isn’t working for you, find a more interesting activity that suits you and will result in the same outcome nevertheless.
In any case, there’s always more than one way to successfully achieve something, which is why it’s most important to always focus on your end outcome.