Motivation Monday: The Finish Line

Motivation Monday, I often talk about starting towards goals, or staying motivated during the journey, but I want to talk to you about what to do when we reach the destination. Everyone has an opinion on how to get to your goals. Sometimes it’s jumping right into the deep end, sometimes it’s making small changes over time. But one thing I don’t think is talked about very often is what to do when you reach your goals.

I think the number one thing to remember is, at a minimum, you need to maintain the changes you made. Do you constantly reach your goals, only to go back to old habits when you are done? Right now, a co-worker is doing this. He’s starting a 6 week “rapid fat Loss” crossfit course. It has all the signs of short term success and long term failure. A definite end, changes that aren’t sustainable (literally one day a week total fast, no food at all), and other stuff.

If we want to keep these changes, we have to make them our Life. Not a race with a finish line. We don’t make other changes with an end in sight. Imagine this conversation: “yeah, let’s get married, but after 6 months, let’s get a divorce.” Ludicrous, right? That’s what we are doing when we say “I’m going to lose 10 pounds” as opposed to “I’m going to get healthy. One thing I need to do in Order to get healthy, is losing at least 10 pounds.” I think for a change to be successful, a finish line can’t be implemented. Goals can be helpful markers, but saying “I am done after I do X” will just result in you being back to square one after a few months.

So don’t limit your capabilities by setting an end point. You are more than that, you are better than that. Use goals as guide posts, not as finish lines. And as always, be the best version of yourself that you can be.