It must this time of year that gets me in the mood to write. If you remember back a whole year ago at this time, I was smack in the middle of my 20 days to 30 blog. That still remains one of the most creative and great things I have ever done for myself. It also reminds me that I am about to turn 31. Birthdays sure do come faster as you get older.
So in January, I made a New Year's resolution that was so cliche. I guess I was feeling a bit sassy since I completed my last two resolutions. Two years ago I decided to open an IRA and begin saving for my retirement, which I completed. Last year was completing a 5K, which I did 3 times. This year, I decided to make the ever so common weight loss resolution. And I didn't tell hardly anyone, because every time I make this resolution, I don't stick to it. Well, 2.5 months in I am still going strong, and have lost almost 10 pounds. More importantly, I feel great and healthier than I have in a while. I had thought about reviving the blog to track my progress, but I was a bit nervous that if I didn't stick to it that I would have failed publicly. I think I am ready to share. Tonight I went for a 5 mile run (my longest distance yet!). It took me a while, so I had lots of time to think. So in that full hour of jogging around a tiny little track at the gym, my mind landed on motivation.
I got to thinking-lots of things people wish for come right down to motivation. For me, I often lose my motivation to workout consistently or eat healthy pretty quick. It isn't that I don't know how to do those things, I just get lost in life, and there goes my motivation. So tonight, I did some reflecting on how I was able to keep motivated for so long this time. An image of a money tree came to mind-that idea that if we just each had a money tree our lives would be so much easier....so if we all had a motivation tree imagine what we could get done! A little tree in our backyard that we could pluck little bits of motivation from whenever we needed a boost? Then I dared to dream big; what about a motivation forest!??! I realized that this very idea was what I had been tapping into for the last 2 1/2 months. I had been diversifying my motivation to keep it steady...plucking my motivation from different trees as needed to make it interesting and (so far) unwavering.
My motivation trees are pretty varied: A new piece of running clothing really makes me want to run so I can try it out; a new running playlist will get me motivated to go for a run. Reading a really good, inspiring running blog can do the trick sometimes ( I really like runsforcookies.com), or even just telling a new person the goals I have set works. Last week I found a new motivation tree-I got complemented on my "runners legs". That is a motivation tree I REALLY like! Another new one was found today. I had a wellness assessment at work. I learned that my recent lifestyle changes have led to health benefits; I also got new info about ways to boost my energy before working out, which made me really excited to try. And sure enough, I got over the 4 mile running plateau and made it 5 miles for the first time!
So the moral of my ramblings-when I find myself losing motivation, I will know it is time to diversify, move to another tree. If we pluck leaves off the same tree, pretty soon it will be bare. And hopefully, since I have put my New Year's resolution out there for everyone to see I can turn it in to another tree in my motivation forest. I'll keep you updated :)
J
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