Another Year, Another set of goals set…Motivation to achieve them is key!
So with the start of another year, you may find yourself setting new resolutions or goals for the year. These may include the typical one’s that come round every-year, like getting fitter, losing weight, give up smoking and be kinder to yourself and others and so on…
For others they may be wanting to get qualifications, change those negative habits, get a new job or that promotion you so deserve!
Whatever the goal, target or resolution you have set, your success in achieving it comes down to the level of motivation you have for achieving that change.
When I talk about motivation, I’m referring to deep down, inner strength levels of motivation linked to commitment….If something is really important to you, you will find the energy and time to commit to the change consistently! This is what gives you the highest chance of success.
In your head you may be thinking ‘yup, I want it and am going to do it!’ and be confident of doing it. What tends to get in the way though, for a lot of people, is that when things get tough, our self-doubt about the change creeps in and we may end up skipping the task we needed to do, to keep the momentum of the change going because it is easier not to do it.
What can then happen is, we end up beating ourselves up that we weren’t committed to the change, which as a result feeds those self-doubts about the change we had in the first place. And so the vicious cycle of not achieving those goals and more self-doubt can occur.
So what can you do about it?
Well I’m going to share a tool with you, which will help you to discover the level of motivation and commitment you have and whether it is strong enough so that you can consistently commit to the change and get the benefits you want.
Firstly, whatever the change is, you need to acknowledge the importance of the change to you. By this I mean identifying what are the real benefits to you personally. What are you going to get as a result of committing to the change? This is crucial because if the benefits of the change are not important to you, your likely to be setting yourself up to fail and the change you want to make ends up being more ‘wishy’ ‘hopeful’ and ‘nice’.
So start off by drawing this grid….
What the change is | What the Benefits of the change are | Benefits of staying as is |
| | |
What will this give you? | | |
| | |
It may seem strange having a column entitled ‘Benefits of staying as is’. The reason for having this column is about recognising that if you choose to do nothing you’ll still gain something from ‘doing nothing’, and that might be just as important to you as the change you want to make.
Let me show you what I mean.
In the grid below I’m going to use an change example of whether or not I should ‘Learn to drive.’ The benefits to be gained from the adopting the change or not are in green font & italics.
What the change is | What the Benefits of the change are | Benefits of staying as is |
Learning to Drive | If I learn to drive I’ll be able to buy a car | Save me money |
What will this give you? | Give me new levels of independence | I’ll have more money to spend on the things I like doing |
What will this give you? | It will give me more opportunities to find a new job as I could commute and I could also see new places & travel | Pleasure and enjoyment |
What will this give you? | Well a new job would mean I can learn new skills; meet new people & potentially earn more money. Being able to travel will mean I can visit places I’ve seen advertised that otherwise I might not go to, as it would cost to much to go via train or bus. | i'll have fun |
What will this give you? | Having a better paid job will mean I’ll have more money. Learning new skills will mean I’ll have opportunities to achieve more through work, like get a promotion. Meeting new people could mean I make new friends. Visiting new places will make me happy as I’m limited as to where I go by relying on public transport | It will make me happy |
If I was to ask the question again of ‘What will this give you?’ can you see how limited the responses are for staying the same? They are linked to instant gratification, whereas the reasons for doing the change are more detailed; involved and complex. They have depth in terms of personal impact and open up even more benefits and possibilities. I would also suggest they will have lasting positive effect on you.
There is also a strong chance that all the reasons for not making the change will end up in the column as ‘reason for making the change’…
This simple activity will help you to explore the real reasons and motivations behind wanting to make the change.
If the deep underlying benefits have been identified and explored fully, you’ll more likely to be committed to the change you want to make and should you have a wobble and self-doubt creeps in, then they will help you to remember how important and the benefits of making the change are!
Hope this helps you to make the change you want for 2023 consistently….
The above is just one of tools used in ‘Motivational Interviewing’ techniques which I use in my coaching practice…If your interested in learning more, drop me a message.