Talk About Your Goals Frequently

For many, there’s nothing like a little outside pressure and accountability to motivate success.  When you tell others, they’re likely to check in with you regularly to see how you’re doing and if you’re close to success.  Here are a few groups of people you might want to tell your goals to, to motivate you to succeed:

1.  Tell your family. Family is quite likely one of the best motivational tools.  Not only are we motivated to get healthy so we’re around for them for a long, long time, we’re motivated to get healthy so we can be active and enjoy life together.  Additionally, your family is always around, they love you unconditionally and they want you to succeed. 

Husbands and spouses are there to hold you when you mess up and cheer for you when you succeed.  All family members can help you attain your goals by providing you with an environment of support.  For example, if you’re quitting smoking and your husband or family members smoke, they can try to quit with you, smoke outside, and never offer to pick up a pack for you while they’re out.

2.  Tell your friends.  Friends are superior motivational tools because they challenge you to succeed.  They make you laugh and keep you focused on being positive about your goals.  Even better, friends can join you on your quest for a healthier life.  Why not create a walking or exercising group and join each other three times a week for laughter and fitness.  If you’re all striving to lose weight, you could schedule weekly phone calls or meet for coffee to discuss your trials and successes during the week. 

3.  Online.  Online support groups, forums and chat rooms are fantastic.  In fact they’re so successful, there are chat rooms devoted to helping people meet and attain their fitness and weight loss goals.  In addition to chat rooms and social networking support, there are a variety of tools available online to track your success.  For example, there is a fitness tracking application that is a Google plug-in.  You can use it to track your mileage if you’re a runner, cyclist or swimmer, or you can track your weightlifting goals.  It allows you to track the statistics of your workout and how you felt afterward.  There are also similar weight loss plug-ins. 

4.  Programs.  Most weight loss programs offer some kind of support system.  Weightwatchers offers meetings, Jenny Craig offers online and in office support, and Curves offers support with their fitness programs.  Sometimes program support is the best kind, because other people in the program are going through the same kind of struggles you’re going through and it’s easier to hear advice from them.

5.  Tell co-workers.  You see your co-workers just about every day and they can be an excellent source of motivation.  Whether you’re competitive with your co-workers or you work together well as a team, they can provide the perfect motivation.  Plus, unlike your family, you can escape them at the end of the day, which gives you time away from thinking about your resolution.