Monday, April 25, 2011

The Motivation Factor

So, today something glorious happened. I purchased plane tickets.
 Oh hello Duck Beach. I can't wait to meet you.
Yep. I'm going to be heading here over Memorial Day and I couldn't be more excited. We seem to be living in eternal winter here in Utah, so having some warm sunshine to look forward to is the best news ever! (I'm currently sipping on my second cup of sugar free hot chocolate for the day. That really just isn't right. It's almost May people!) Have you ever been to Duck Beach?? Tell me about it if you have. :)

I'm currently looking forward to running beach side, sipping diet dr pepper as I lounge on the beach listening to my favorite jams, riding bikes around town, and pretending I live by the ocean for just a bit. Sounds ok, right? 

I have been doing great with my goals these past couple weeks, but knowing I have a swimsuit filled weekend to look forward to in a month gives me even more reason to kick in to high gear. Don't you love when that internal motivation factor kicks in? I sure do.

Motivation is an interesting thing...Webster tells us;

motivation |ˌmōtəˈvā sh ən|
noun
{the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way : escape can be a strong motivation for travel.
• the general desire or willingness of someone to do something : keep staff up to date and maintain interest and motivation.}

I am definitely a goal oriented person. I have to have a reason behind what I am doing. If I don't have a purpose in my actions I don't feel the same drive. I've noticed my clients are the same way. It is really easy to see when they actually want what they are working for. Progress doesn't happen when they don't.

Goals don't always have to be monumental, like losing twenty pounds or running a marathon. They can be small and purposeful for the moment.
Some days my goals are to run my mileage at a certain pace or to eat a certain amount of this or that. Other days it's more like...just get through sixty minutes of cardio, even if I'm crawling on the treadmill. There are even times when my goals are more related to what I want to avoid...not to make negative body image comments to myself or to stop dipping my finger in the PB jar.

Some would argue with me that weight loss, looking a certain way, or wearing a certain dress size are not good and positive goals. I would disagree. While I think some of these goals can lead to the imperfect syndrome if you aren't careful, there is nothing wrong with wanting to feel good about the way you look.


What motivates you? Do you need goals to stick to, or can you just keep on keepin' on just because?Are you going anywhere for Memorial Day? Cause I am...

Get us back on the beach where we belong.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yay for vacations! I absolutely need motivation to do anything, unfortunately I have trouble finding the motivation. Part of why I'm always training for races is because I need it to get me out of bed to work out. I just can't bring myself to work out with no planned schedule (thus my complete lack of weight training).

I'm super jealous of sweet vacations. I'll be luck to have a few days off to attend weddings this summer. I can't wait to graduate and be allowed to go somewhere for a week!

Jody @ Raising Fin and Fish said...

Duck beach sounds awesome! Every memorial day is taken up by outdoor track nationals for my husband's work but at least we get to travel a bit and be outside.

FYI: I featured your frozen banana soft serve today on the blog!

Julia said...

Super jealous of your trip!! that will be awesome and so relaxing :)

I definitely have to have goals to work toward...if not it is hard for me to just sit down and do something but with goals and deadlines I can usually get right on top of it!!

Holley @ Lunges and Lashes said...

Your timing couldn't be any more perfect! Especially since it just snowed. :(

Erin Masi said...

Hooray for Duck!! I'm going too this year-can't wait!! Such a pretty beach and definitely a fun atmosphere!

Rachelle Wardle said...

How fun that you have a little trip planned. I definitely think "mini vacations" motivate me even more to stay in shape and keep me positive because I have something to look forward to.

I am motivated pretty easily but I absolutely think that having goals helps. I wake up and make little mini goals everyday and find that they keep me focused. Have a great day in the snow. :(:( wa wa wa!

Thisisme said...

Vacations and beach cure anything!!!

I need to set some more goals to stay motivated. I tend to think my goals are lame or too far fetched and then I forget about them. Time to find a happy medium!!

Jen said...

A beach vacation sounds just perfect about now. It really has been a cold and wet spring. Yuck!
I need goals to work towards. But there are times that I can keep going just because it makes me feel good. I need those endorphins to keep me happy and it seems the older I get, the more I need them to stay sane.

Anonymous said...

boooooooooooo eternal winter! it's just starting to get really nice out here and i'm finally thinking that the cold is gone.

hopefully i did not just jinx myself.

Rene said...

Yay for the beach! No Memorial Day vacay for me - I'm taking a class. I am dreaming of my Destin vacation in July though - already planning what books to bring to the beach - plus I've already scouted out the nearest Sonic for my daily fix.
I had a great run this past Saturday and it totally motivated me to work harder. I am starting to expect more from myself where running is concerned. I don't compare myself to others but I can keep pushing myself to do the best that I can. It feels great.

Nichole Barney said...

Where the heck is duck beach? Sounds like a fun adventure! I have serious motivation after the sugar comma I was in yesterday from Easter! Swimsuit season is a great goal for me! :)

Jenn said...

Eternal winter here too. Duck Beach-I wanna come!!!

I totally agree with the fact that there is nothing wrong with wanting to feel good about the way you look. There is everything RIGHT with that in my opinion. One God-given body, the desire to honor it, and feel good IN it-big time important to me. Not ALLOWING yourself to feel good about how you look poses a problem however....

Yep-I need goals and I'm going to my MIL's for Memorial Day. We will probably be served Duck but it won't be on a beach. Either duck or deer or goose or something else wild and nasty, not sure what she's got up her sleeve-yishta!!

Christina said...

Are you headed to Duck, N.C.? It's beautiful out there. I have been there a couple of times. It is a very popular area out here on the East Coast. :)

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