A Daily Dose of Motivation.

Motivation...inspiration...a good hard smack in the head. It's all necessary to keep my mind on track.
"I can do this by myself." "I don't need help from anyone." "I can give that up, no problem." " I can change every bad habit that I've had my whole life overnight." These are constant self-talks that I've had millions of times over the past 20 years. And, do they work?? NO!
I have learned that I need some form of motivation frequently. I tend to get complacent. My attitude changes from one of being "gung ho" to one of being comfortable and content. Especially when things get difficult. I start to talk myself into being ok with how things are...even though I'm not. And, because of this, I need constant reminders of why I started this journey. I need VISUAL reminders. I need reminders that come from someone or something other than me.
I have been struggling big time with getting my head back into this. I have always known that I have major issues with food. I don't know when it started because I don't remember a time that I didn't love food. And, I have been trying to understand why I go through these stages so often. I mean...I don't have a bad life. I didn't have a horrible childhood. I was never a victim of abuse or anything traumatic. So...what's my excuse? Why do I rely on food to medicate or enhance every emotion?? And, the only thing I could come up with is...addiction. Is this the reason? Is it because I have found something that I love, and now I have become addicted to it? I don't know. But, honestly...the word "addiction" seems so extreme to me. Plus, I have a hard time relating that word to food. I associate it with substances/activities that we engage in, but can live without. Something that we start, but then have to learn to give up. Well...food is something that I need to live. How can I be addicted to something that I won't be able to quit? That doesn't make sense to me. But now, the real question is...how do I become un-addicted? Or can I??
Who knows?? All I know is, that this rant and over-thinking of my current situation, just leads me back to what I've said before..."Who care's what the reason is, just get it under control!" I will always have issues with food. What's important is, that I recognize when I get in my funk and act on it before it gets out of control. So...that is what I am doing. And that...now, takes us back to...motivation.
There are many different kinds of motivation and they all work. Some kinds are uplifting and inspirational...some have a way of reminding me that I'm not alone...some are useful in helping me  feel that unconditional love and acceptance, even when I'm moving backwards...some are just the "in your face, smack in the head" that we all need...and some are just plain funny and help me keep my sense of humor about the whole thing.
Family and friends are HUGE distributors of this motivation for me. I appreciate SO much all the love and support that I have received EVERY step of the way, and still receive daily. It is so hard to not only lose the weight and improve my health, but it's also hard to maintain that drive to keep it going. And, not to mention...how hard it is to get back on the horse again, after I have fallen off and broken my spirit. I am just so lucky to have such a big circle of family and friends that love me and want nothing but the best for me. No matter how many times I fall off that horse, there is always someone to help boost me back up. Or, that someone to hear me out without making me feel stupid for having the issues that I do. Family and friends offer a form of motivation that helps me feel the unconditional love and acceptance. They also remind me that I'm not alone.

 

There are also times when I just need to take a few minutes and read some uplifting quotes or stories. They don't have to be super long and preachy. Some are very simple, yet direct and to the point. And, these help to reset my attitude and then get my state of mind back into the positive thinking again.

Some methods of motivation are "slap me in the face"! Hard to look at, but necessary to remember why I am going through all of this! I have not been in many pictures in the past 10 years or so because of the humiliation that I feel when I see what I've done to myself. But...these pictures are exactly what I need to see in order to keep me motivated.

Don't get me wrong...I don't hate myself. I love the person that I am. I am just upset at what I have done to myself physically and what I have done to my health. These pictures help remind me to stay on the right path.

HUMOR...I LOVE HUMOR. It is such a huge part of who I am. So...how could I not use humor to keep me motivated.

 

 

So...there it is folks. Losing weight, getting healthy, changing bad habits, being compassionate with myself, having patience in doing hard things and keeping a positive state of mind...they all require help from different sources of motivation in order to stay on track. With getting a daily dose of motivation, I can get that boost that I need to keep me going.