Motivation Follows Action

Hey everyone. Today's blog post will be short and sweet.

Too often we believe that motivation needs to be present before we can move toward our goals. We buy books, we listen to speeches, watch motivational videos, and hope that it will spark a fire that grows and spreads till it is all consuming. The problem is that we lack any kindling. You can strike all the matches you want but if you have no kindling the fire will be small and short lived.

The first step is not to ignite the fire, but to gather the kindling. Kindling is small and dry. It is easy to gather, easy to burn, and we can slowly build a bigger fire by adding slightly larger sticks until the fire transforms from the size of your hand to burning down a forest.

With health and wellness, this means starting with small singular goals. If your goal is to run a marathon and you decide to run as far and as fast as you can for your first workout, you'll probably get a few miles, feel miserable and exhausted, and give up on your goal. Start simple. Walk for 30 minutes. Jog a mile at an easy pace. Build slowly and take your time. This will sustain a larger, longer lasting fire than beginning with extreme effort. Likewise, if your goal is to change your diet, do not trash all your junk food, buy 10 pounds of chicken and raw broccoli, and expect to sustain that healthy eating.

Here are some common goals people have and the kindling we can use to build toward our goals:

Run a 5k, 10k, half marathon, or marathon:

• Start with a 30 minute walk 3x a week or a short run that does not leave you gasping for air

Chang your diet

• Track all of your eating for one week using an app like myfitnesspal or a journal

Start a workout program:

• Select 3-4 exercises, my favorites are push-ups, squats, and planks, and do 3-5 sets of all 3 exercises every day for a week, not pushing yourself to failure, but rather making the focus building consistency in your exercise

Set yourself up for success. Build a fire that will last for years, not just a week.

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