Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Consistent Motivation

Every day I take The Little Miss to her pre-school and every day I take the same roads, more or less at the same time. And everyday, I see the same round, plump woman, dressed in black shorts and a big blue visor, walking. Every. Single. Day. I see her on the same stretch of road, some days a little further than others, but none the less, she's there. She's consistent. And isn't consistent motivation the name of the game we're all playing?

It seems we all go in spurts, one day is great, the next, not so much. Or maybe it's a week or month that's good and then, not. And really aren't we all looking for is to be consistent? To find the motivation to keep going. To do exercise on regular basis, to eat well for more than one meal or one day or for one week at a time.

Seems like motivation is very illusive. It seems to wax and wane, making my struggles all the more difficult. It would be nice if there was an easy way find it but where we get our motivation is as individual as each of us. For me, I play head games with myself to get motivated, but works best is if I keep telling myself that I will feel better if I do it. If you exercise, you'll feel better. If you eat this instead of that, you'll feel better. If you do all those things, you'll feel better. I also try and break things down into smaller pieces. If I just do this one small thing and add it to the next small thing, soon enough the links in the chain add up.

I wonder how she gets motivated to take her walk? I wonder what she says to her self every day as she ties up her shoes? I wonder if she does that same little dance in her head, the one that I do, making up excuses on why she shouldn't go. It's too hot, it's too far, my body is sore. But every day she's out there. Consistently. I admire her strength to get out and do it. To do what so many of us struggle to do, when really it should be easy. I want what she has, consistent motivation.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ive been there watching other people as well.
wondering what drives them (in whatever it is that they do---recently for met it has been a woman I see writing furiously at starbucks. Im longing to ask what she's working on. where she gets her muse. etc. but when I belonged to a gym I OFT wondered that about people there...).

loved this post.

did it make you wonder whos watching you?

Miz.

Unknown said...

I am with ya on the motivation. I go in spurts. Once it's going, it's going but if there's something that derails it (e.g., working late, going out of town, etc.), it's derailed and not just a little bit.

Maybe someday you will get up your nerve to ask this woman her secret and share with the rest of the world? *hint hint

Hanlie said...

I really admire people like that...

Missicat said...

I hear ya. Now that I have been pushing myself to run just about every evening, I have been noticing some of the same faces and wondering how long they have been out there! I hope I can keep it up like your mystery woman.

Anonymous said...

I too have to have those talks with myself. I'm not at the point where I can do this consistently without them. Wish I were!