100 Days Challenge - Day 41 - Motivation is a Choice

Although it may seem like it simply pops up unexpectedly, motivation is actually a choice. You create it yourself through your thoughts, your self-talk, and your attitude. To do this, you have to invent new tricks and create fresh ideas that will inspire you toward action.

                                                                        -Linda Spangle  ("100 Days of Weight Loss")

It's a coincidence that motivation is the next topic in the 100 Days Challenge, as it is clearly one that I need to focus on.   I allowed the entire month of June to go by without journaling.  While that doesn't mean I got totally "off track",   I did lose some of my focus.   The number reason why I journal is to remain focused on my goals and do what I need to do to reach them.    Like many of us,  my level of motivation comes and goes.   However, I don't give up -  no, wait...I  WON'T give up!   I am on this journey for however long it takes...which for me will go way beyond "100 days".    Journaling also forces me to be accountable, though there are other tools which also assist me in that area - specifically, my fitness calendar and my food tracker (though I often don't keep up with the latter).   I let traveling and being away from home be my excuse for dropping my journal, my food tracker and, yes, even my exercise routine!  About the only thing I did was eat with awareness most of the time - and for that reason I only gained a couple of pounds during my month long absence.   

I am remedying all of this with renewed self-motivation.  I have already created my calendar for the coming week, and today I am returning to journaling and tracking my food, as this is what I KNOW I need to do to get back on track.  Yes, this is work - HARD work - but honestly I don't know any other way to make it all happen.   We do what we have to do to get the results that we want.    As I read the quote above by Linda Spangle,  I must admit that I don't know yet what "fresh ideas" I can come up with but I do know that "self-talk" and a positive attitude have a great deal of influence on whether or not I am successful.   We can basically convince ourselves to take any path - or even remain stagnant - but within ourselves, we KNOW not only what works for each of us but also what work needs to be done to get back on track.   

I need to recognize that I am on this journey for myself and not for anyone else.   I want to be healthier, stronger, and improve my over-all well-being.  To underline that I am on a PERSONAL journey, I am going to list again my personal goals as I need to remind myself WHY I am on this journey:

1.  To strengthen my body, especially my limbs and joints.

2.  To lose significant weight which will also help decrease the weight I am presently bearing on my limbs/joints, especially my knees.

3.  To be able to truly enjoy my retirement years by becoming healthier and stronger.

MY OWN PERSONAL ASSIGNMENT:   

To take on more ownership of my journey, I'm going to personalize my assignment.  

My assignment for this chapter on Motivation is to research new and fresh ideas to help "jump-start" my enthusiasm towards my journey.   Perhaps personalizing my assignments is a good start as it's something I've rarely done in the previous 40 days of this challenge!   : )