Goals are meant to be hard and a bit scary

Have you ever set a goal, got sooo motivated to make it happen at the beginning and then realize after a few weeks you lost the motivation to put in the work??

Same.

I've done some digging to see what the difference is between the people who stay motivated towards their goals and not and the BIGGEST difference I found is that some become COMMITTED to the goal (and we'll get into that in a second) and some are just INTERESTED in it. Here are the biggest differences between the two:

The COMMITTED:

• Have built habits and routines around the work that's required to get there.
• Take action even when they're "not feeling it" that day --because of the bullet point above!
• Don't take "no" for an answer. They see it more as a roadblock they have to find a way to navigate around.
• Are optimistic. Even if they're not seeing the results they want right away, they stick to it because they know there's a light at the end of the tunnel. 
• Are brave. They know the road will be uncomfortable, but are brave enough to take the steps they know they NEED to take to get there.
• Own their goal. They know it's on THEM to make it happen and no one else.
• Are willing to look silly/fail. They know failure is part of the process and aren't afraid to look silly in front of others. They know what they're after and some people are going to have things to say, but the goal matters more than other people's opinions.
• Embrace the suck. They know discomfort is NECESSARY to make their goals happen and they embrace the grind that they know they're going to face with open arms.

The INTERESTED:

• Have no habits and simply HOPE they will get to their goal. (Hope is not a strategy ;)
• "Hit snooze" on their goal more often than not because they don't want to get out of their comfort-zone.
• Give up when it's hard. They aren't seeing their results immediately and therefore stop and think it's hopeless. (Rome wasn't built in a day)
• Are pessimistic. They see their glass as half-empty and will start to believe that the goal is "too big" when really they should just be working on taking the next best step *and putting that on repeat* until they gain momentum.
• They usually choose the easy route. If there's an option to take it "easy" they choose that one. They would rather do the least effort possible. This will make it longer for them to reach their goal (if they even get there!)
• They blame others. When things didn't go as planned, they blame others for the reason why they didn't succeed instead of owning it and moving on.
• They get embarrassed easily. Instead of laughing it off when they look silly in pursuit of their goal, they would rather hide in a corner because they might be judged...and care way too much about what other people think.
• They don't like discomfort. (This kinda goes along with taking the easy route) Instead of knowing that it's the hard times that are NECESSARY for growth, they back down when they get uncomfortable...making them stay exactly where they started with little-to-no growth.

Hopefully, it's pretty obvious that the committed athlete will be more likely to make their goals happen.

-- and just so you know WE ALL can relate to at least one of the "INTERESTED" scenarios so don't beat yourself up if you've felt yourself more interested than committed at times!

We're human and our brains were literally CREATED to protect us by NOT getting out of our comfort zones...but it's fighting through the pain and discomfort that is necessary for growth.

DO YOU HAVE A GOAL THAT LIGHTS YOU UP INSIDE?

Motivation can only come from ones self and if you're not in purist of something bigger than you, you'll likely NOT be motivated to do the work.

It reminds me of school...I wasn't a bad student in any way, but there were some classes (like math and social studies) that I just wanted NOTHING to do with...so I wasn't motivated to study for those as much and my grades showed it..

BUT THEN THERE WAS SCIENCE AND ENGLISH...If I could spend my WHOLE DAY working on those subjects I would be SO MUCH MORE motivated to put in the work needed to excel...because I wanted to learn more about those subjects.. thankfully my major in college allowed me to make that happen. --for the record my major was Applied Exercise and Health

All I'm saying is go after something your enjoy, that you know challenges you but you love it...and you'll end up a better version of you in pursuit of it!

If you want to learn more about be COMMITTED rather than INTERESTED in your goals (and you're into podcasts), check out this recent episode of When the Cleats Come Off Podcast:

"GOALS: It's supposed to be hard..."

It might just be the spark for you to remind yourself where you're headed and get on track to becoming the best version of YOU! 

p.s. you can also listen to this episode on Apple or Google Podcasts!

Stay awkward, humble, & keep smiling!

Ashley (Burkhardt) Egel