While grabbing a workout out the other day on the elliptical, I found myself staring down at my feet, wondering… will this workout EVER end?

Have you ever felt like that? Have you found it hard to do what you need to do, whether for maintaining your health or for a specific lifestyle change toward a goal, day in day out with consistency? How do you find your motiviation when things are no longer going well or the initial allure has faded?

I often tell my clients that when our efforts toward wellness goals are going right it can get kind of boring. We can get so lost in the excitement or the discouragement of the big picture that we stop doing the daily tasks of what’s necessary toward that big picture success. Yet, it’s only by the necessary daily work that we can track progress or yield the end result.

You may have heard sayings before about breaking down larger tasks to make projects more manageable. Yes, that works, and in so doing you are better able to manage day-to-day tasks or activities. Once we have that down, however, how can we get creative in staying focused or have the task become so engrained in our lives that it is done with ease or without dread, much like the habit of brushing teeth?

Try these to bump up your drive:

Mix it up! Try a new pathway toward the same result. Tired of the treadmill? Commit to a daily walk, even if it’s around your house. 

Find a happy medium – Have you told yourself you’re not eating anything after dinner only to end up snacking on foods that derail your best intentions? Allow yourself a snack if you choose but be specific as to what it will be, such as a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts or a measured out portion of a favorite. 

Dive deeper to complete the task at hand – This one may surprise you. Sometimes when we lose focus on what we’re doing boredom or distraction sets in and your task seems dreadful. If you take the example of myself during that workout on the elliptical, I turned on a Podcast, stayed focused on its content and before I knew it time had passed and I even learned something new!

How do you keep your motivational spark alive?

In good health,