“Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you chances are it will burn very briefly.”    Stephen Covey

This quote sums it up. The motivation for lifestyle change has to be yours.  You want to change not because your doctor tells you  . . . not because your family or friends want you to . . . but because there is something that matters to you enough to make you want to change your life!

If you are searching for the motivation to get healthier and fight diabetes I hope that you find some tips to inspire you and help you find the spark that lights your fire!

1.     Find the Strong Motivator Within You

What is your reason for wanting to make changes in your life and your health?

What do you envision yourself doing 5-10 years from now that diabetes might interfere with?

Sometimes we don’t think we are worth spending the time or money to improve our health. But think about it from the perspective of how your health will affect your ability to help others with your unique talents and gifts. What is your life purpose? We are all here to serve others in some way. What has God intended your work to be?  If you have less burden from diabetes you can help others so much more.

This may take some time to think and reflect on your life.

For example, one of my big motivators to stay well and beat diabetes is thinking about my “bucket list” of places I want to see and things I want to do and being able to do things with my kids and future grandchildren.  If I let diabetes take over my life and my body I won’t be able to enjoy all of those adventures! 

. . .Not to mention that I plan on working for many years helping others find better ways to manage and conquer diabetes.

2.     Post Your Goal

Post Your Daily or Weekly Goal where it will be a reminder.  I LOVE sticky notes but you can post it any way you like. Post it on your computer, on your desk, in your car, on your fridge!

Or you can post a picture related to your goal. Just make sure it is an inspiring picture.  For example if I want to start exercising to get in shape for a vacation to Europe, where I will be walking a lot, I could post a picture of the place where I will be going on vacation.

3.     Enlist Help

We all need support to reach our goals. Here are some ideas:

• Online forums where you can discuss concerns with others working toward the same type of goals.
• Ask family members to support your goals, such as not having tempting foods around the house.
• Get a group of friends or coworkers together that are working on similar goals and email each other or meet periodically.
• Start a health challenge at work.
• Hire a coach for accountability to help you stay on track. Try my Diabetes Prevention Power Plan coaching. 

4.     Start Your “Re-Energize” List

As you are working day-to-day to beat diabetes, realize that you will have days and maybe weeks where you have no motivation to do this anymore. That does not mean you have failed. You are human and that is normal. We cannot eat perfectly, exercise perfectly or do anything we know we should do perfectly. We can only do our best every day.

When you have those no-motivation days it will help to have a list of things you can do to re-energize. Here are a few ideas:

• Forget about it. Take a break and forget about your goal for a day.  Maybe you have been thinking about it too much and just need to free your mind and focus on something else. You might find you come back refreshed!
• Read an inspiring article or book. This can be any topic or any type – just pick something that feels inspiring to you!
• Watch a move that inspires you.
• Go to an event that you enjoy. This might be a sporting or other event or just getting together with friends.
• Talk to someone that makes you feel good about yourself.
• Tell yourself something positive about you every day . . . . Say it out loud and better yet, write it down in journal or notebook.  I like to think of it as a compliment to myself.  This positive self-talk can be powerful in helping you change your life!

Now . . Here’s your challenge for the week: Take time to think about the motivation from within you, write it down somewhere or type it in your phone as a reminder.