It’s almost the end of January. How are you doing with your New Year’s resolution? Are you still going or did you already drop off weeks ago? One of the main reasons why people tend to drop out of their New Year’s resolution or any goal for that matter is the lost of motivation. Results can certainly sustain motivation, but the lack of results can be even more forceful to cause you to go back to your old ways. So how do you stay motivated for weight loss?
Simon O. Sineck is an author best known for his book, “Start with Why”. By why, he means, what’s your purpose? What’s your cause? What’s your reason for getting out of bed in the morning? So why do you want to lose weight? We all have a life and a purpose beyond the scale.
When I see a patient for the first time in my office, I can already tell how well they are going to do on the program based on the reason that brought them into the office in the first place. Those who tell me a story rather than a number, by far, succeed much better in the program as far as losing weight and keeping it off long-term. These patients are living life to the fullest after they have graduated from our program from being more active with their kids to thriving in their careers to getting off their meds.
So yes, I confess I am one of the cheesy ones in this world that wake up in the morning excited to start the day. It didn’t used to be like that, especially when I was working for a “boss”. But now life did a 180 on me. How? I did a lot of digging but I found my big “why” – to inspire. Back in the old days, I was treating sick patients and although it can be rewarding, it was not inspirational, not to me. Today I still treat patients with medical disease, but my method of “saving lives” has taken on new meaning. The definition of inspire is to influence or guide someone to make or create something. I inspire patients to believe in themselves, build their confidence, and to create the life they have always wanted through healthier living.
Once you have established your “why”, the weight loss journey you are about to embark on will become less about counting calories and more about living your life and purpose. That’s my motivational factor. So what’s yours?
