“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Ryun
We often look to external sources for motivation, and while that’s ok, it’s not enough. As Jim Ryun states in the quote above, motivation gets us started. But it doesn’t last. It needs to be continually renewed, and if it doesn’t get renewed before your habits are in place? You lose interest and fall back to your old ways.
That’s why the gym is always packed for the first month after New Years. Everybody has made their resolution to “lose 10 pounds this year” or to “get in better shape.” They get motivated, but they don’t set up the right habits to get to their incorrectly defined goals. Then, once the motivation wears off, they stop going to the gym.
Incorrect goal-setting is the other part of the problem here…the first example listed (to lose 10 pounds) is a results-based goal and the second example (to get in better shape) is too vague. Your goals should be S.M.A.R.T. and should really focus on taking the right actions, which will eventually lead you to the result/outcome that you desire. Your body may hit several plateaus on the way to losing a certain amount of weight or gaining a certain amount of muscle, but the important thing to keep in mind is, are you taking the right steps to get to your goal? Are you developing the right habits? That’s what is in your control. Focus on actions, not on results.