The Secret To Keeping Your Motivation High 

Have you ever stood at the bottom of a huge hill and thought “there’s no way I can make it to the top”? I sure have… we all have – it’s human nature to look at the end goal – but that is a habit to change into a more positive mindset.

As I say alllll the time, it’s SMALL steps to BIG changes. So when you are standing at the bottom of that hill, instead of looking towards the top, just put one foot in front of the other until you make it to the top. And CELEBRATE THOSE LITTLE STEPS because they are the ones that add up to get you there in the end.

WHAT DO I MEAN BY ‘A SMALL STEP WIN’?

A small step win is one of the micro steps that you take towards achieving any greater goal. These small steps that you take towards a goal, or little changes that you implement that help scoot you closer and closer towards a goal – these are the significant, critical steps that all add up to ultimately make you achieve your goal.

Celebrating each of these small steps is crucial – positive reinforcement not only helps to keep you motivated (and EXCITED!) but it also actually instructs your body to release those feel-good hormones that come along with the feeling of accomplishment! Instead of waiting until the end to celebrate one ultimate win – congratulate yourself on the steps you take EVERY DAY that lead you closer and closer to your end goal!

WHY SHOULD I CELEBRATE SMALL WINS?

Like with the hill analogy, sometimes weight loss can feel like you are looking at the top of the highest hill imaginable – and not only can that get you feeling down and unmotivated, but it can actually STOP you from taking any action! Sometimes when we feel that a challenge is just TOO much and unachievable, we just give up and don’t take any action.

Demotivation can come from the feeling that we are so far away from our goal – OR we are unsure of how far away we are, but it seems like a lot. To counteract this – begin to celebrate the SMALL wins and small steps, everyday. The consistent and persistent celebration of small wins will increase motivation and break down the giant goal into manageable pieces, and give you a daily / monthly action plan to keep moving towards the end goal.

WHAT CONSTITUTES A SMALL STEP THAT I CAN CELEBRATE?

Absolutely anything and everything that you are doing to change habits and move in a positive direction towards your end goal you should CELEBRATE! 

Suppose your goal is to lose 25kg. Looking at the scale and focusing on the end goal, especially when you are doing your day to day activities can be demotivating because you won’t actually SEE visible progress for weeks, possibly months. How do you stay motivated and move towards your goal?

Break it down into small things that you need to change. Maybe you celebrate every day when you add 30 minutes of walking or exercise into your day. Or maybe you ate protein at every meal, or drank an extra glass of water, or took the stairs to that afternoon meeting! When you look at the little things that you do every day and congratulate yourself, you will feel PROUD and excited at what you can achieve tomorrow! It’s all about the hill analogy – and putting one theoretical (or sometimes literal!) foot in front of the other.

HOW DO I CELEBRATE THESE WINS?!

Sounds easy in theory right!? But what does celebrating these small wins mean/look like? It can be as little as noticing a small win and acknowledging it in the moment! But you can also reward yourself – no, this doesn’t mean dive into a pile of donuts! 

For me, I often find that reward is acknowledging my own success and being proud of myself for doing the things that I set out to do. Journaling my small wins every day has helped me realise, recognise and REMEMBER my wins – this is especially helpful on a tough day when I have either had a setback or I’m just not feeling top of my game. Looking back and seeing what I have been accomplishing day to day helps me get through any rough patches by bringing me back, and bringing everything into perspective.

Other ways I like to celebrate my wins? Communicating them, of course 🙂 I love to treat myself to going out with friends, where we can all share in my victories. Telling them what I have been up to and what I have been accomplishing is a treat as well, and when they are proud of me as well, that’s even more positive reinforcement for me to hang on to!

And naturally, after a series of small wins, I advocate treating yourself to some new activewear, sneakers, water bottle, yoga mat – anything like that will definitely help you feel confident, proud and accomplished, and keep you on track to smashing your goals!

When it seems like your big, end goal is looming so far away – change the way you are looking at achieving your goal. Breaking down a big goal into “bite-sized pieces” will help you feel good about what you are doing every day to move towards your ultimate achievement. Dopamine doesn’t lie – your brain is wired to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment! Celebrating the small wins every day will help you feel good and keep motivated to stay on track. You’re building your success – one step at a time.

If you have have not yet joined our Facebook Tribe, this is an amazing community of women who support each other on their journeys every single day, and celebrate each others small wins (and also the big ones, when they come around!). It’s a fantastic way to connect with  like-minded women across the globe – sharing in successes and struggles. I check in with them every day and also offer exclusive Facebook Live talks (including exclusive workouts!) to the group. We would love to have you as a part of our Tribe- please follow this link to request to join! It’s time to celebrate your journey and it’s certainly not meant to be done alone!