Motivation vs. Inspiration

It's still pretty new in the year. People are still sticking with some of their new year resolutions. The difference between people that will stick with it, versus people that will quit, is the difference between motivation and inspiration.

Fitness League New England - Super Saturday event

On my team call tonight, we discussed motivation vs. inspiration. I honestly didn't know the difference. I actually had to look it up.
Motivation is defined as "the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way." That sounds right. Maybe the doctor told you you had to lose a few pounds because your blood pressure was too high. That becomes your motivation. The reason I want to go to the gym is because I want to lose weight and feel great. That is my motivation.

So then what is inspiration? Inspire is defined as "to fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something" or "animate someone with (such a feeling)." An inspiration is the "process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something."

So then I started thinking about myself. If I know what my motivation is, do I know what my inspiration is. What is the feeling that I have that DRIVES my behavior. That sounds so powerful.
A feeling that is so strong enough it can drive you to change your behavior. So if my motivation is my "want" to lose weight and feel great, then what is that POWERFUL thing that drives me.

Well I have a few - I'll start with the easier one to talk about - I want to be in the best shape I can be before I have kids. Let's face it ladies, growing a person, and then raising a person is a lot of work. I do not want to be an overweight, unhealthy, sick, exhausted mother who can't keep up with her kids! I want to be fit, and eat clean, and raise my kids in a healthy house! So I need to start early so that eating clean and working out are habits, not forced new year resolutions!

Second - my self confidence. I know how depressing it is to just wear sweatpants or yoga pants because that is all that fits. I know that feeling you get when you hang on to the pants that are 3 sizes too small because "you WILL get there again," even though they haven't fit for 5 years. I know how embarrassing it is to bend over and literally have your pants split! (it happened to me at work! And I was mortified) I know how painful it is when your husband is giving you a back rub and his hands have to move like a roller coaster over your side rolls. I HATE those feelings! Those negative feelings can trap you, and keep you in this horrible state. Especially if you are an emotional eater, like me (once, I ate an entire box of raw brownie dough - I'm not proud of it). So how do you turn those negative feelings into something that will drive you to change, instead of sucking you down further! You have to dig deep! Deep into those emotions and think about what it would be like if all of those things were different. What if I was confident enough to wear a bikini without a cover-up. How would that make me feel?? What if my husband's hands were like a roller coaster over my 6 pack abs and back muscles? How would that kind of strength and confidence make me feel? I remember how I felt when I fit into those pants that are 3 sizes too small. I remember what it felt like when I could do 10 real pushups! I remember what self-esteem felt like.

Take those negative feelings and promise yourself you will never go back. Think about how you want to feel and use that as your INSPIRATION! In my team, we often call it your "WHY."
Why do you want to change your habits? Why do you want to change your financial situation? Why do you want to get healthy?

So I challenge you to take a few minutes, when its quiet (I know it might be hard for you parents!) and dig deep. Think about what MOTIVATES you, and what INSPIRES you. Write down your WHY. Post it somewhere where you can see it often! Pretty soon, you won't be looking up inspirational pictures, you will become your own inspiration!

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