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"You also have to make sure you're picking things that you can live with for the rest of your life."Here's the problem with motivation IMO... Motivation is an emotion. And like all emotions it will let you down eventually. You never want to have to rely on emotion for anything that is truly important.
DISCIPLINE is what gets the job done.
But discipline is something that is built over time. If you haven't built a strong foundation with it and then want to attempt something monumental, you're probably not going to be very successful.
Now with respect to getting healthy...and I don't know what you've done so far and where and how you've failed. But here are some things that I see happening over and over with people that causes them to fail.
Doing way too much all at once. Understand that any changes you are trying to make in this area are likely pretty big changes. Just trying to incorporate regular consistent exercise into your life is a HUGE adjustment for most people. But I often see people pile things on...they'll start going to the gym to lift weights, along with trying to do cardio several times a week, along with making big changes to their diet, etc. They do this all at once which, overall, leads to a massive amount of change overall. And they usually end up failing miserably.
Pick a single thing to focus on. And make it small and simple in the beginning and do it for 90 days. Maybe this is going for a 30 minute walk three or four times a week. Or maybe cutting out all processed foods from your diet. But the first steps you take should be small and achievable. You want to succeed at these first steps because it can greatly help with that motivation that you're having problems with. And it usually takes a good 60-90 days for something to become a habit. Sometimes longer. Once you've done this for 90 days, then pick the next small step to go after and add it in.
You also have to make sure you're picking things that you can live with for the rest of your life. If you decide to start running, for example, but you absolutely hate running, you will not be able to maintain this for the rest of your life. Or a moderate diet that you can stick to for the rest of your life is going to be better than an extreme diet that you get sick of after a month and quit. You have to find foods that you like. Because nobody has succeeded with eating foods that make them miserable.
I 100% agree with this. Once I find the motivation to strive for my goal, I will need a plan to get there. If that plan involves doing or eating stuff I dislike, it will require greater motivation and discipline to achieve the goal. It's unfortunate that I dislike vegetables and exercise since those things are generally associated with people who live long and independently. I am sure there are other ways and I intend to find them.