The Power of Your WHY!

You've decided to do something amazing!

…You’ve chosen the journey to becoming a better version of yourself - a healthier, stronger, happier, more confident version of yourself. 

And with that you likely have goals. Goals such as changing your body composition, increasing energy, healing from an injury or illness etc. 

Goals are great to have, but for most people, the goal itself is not a powerful enough motivator to keep you on track when the going gets tough. And trust me, there will be tough times throughout your health journey because success is never linear. There are ups and downs like getting injured, peer pressure, burn out or personal challenges at work or home that will derail your progress if you are not mentally strong enough.

This is where your WHY comes into play!

Your WHY is something bigger and more powerful than your goals and those who can get to the root of their WHY will be successful when the times get tough. Do not underestimate your WHY as it is a source of incredible power! 

What is your WHY? 

It could be a burning desire to live life more fully, keeping up with your kids, breaking a personal record, being able to do something that you can not right now, being a positive example for others, not ending up in a ‘retirement’ home or something else deeply rooted. 

Take a moment to ponder your WHY and write it down. There may be several. Here is how to extract your WHY:

• From your goals, ask WHY these goals are important?
• What will accomplishing these goals allow you to do that you can not right now?
• Who in your life will be positively impacted should you attain these goals?
• The WHY you write down should create joy and excitement in your heart when you imagine it
• And it must be positive, not negative. Rather than, "Not be in pain," write down, "Feeling good in my body every day"

You may have one or several WHY's. Once you've written them down, revisit them at least once per day. You can revisit it by rewriting it, reading it or even looking at it in the form of a picture. For example, an image of you when you felt your best or an image out of a magazine of someone living the life you envision will work. Let yourself revel in the thought of having your WHY fulfilled, even if it's only for 10 seconds a day. You will be surprised by how this little habit will affect your days for the better.

Your WHY Every Day

If you can revisit your WHY daily you will create new connections in your brain (neuroplasticity), that will lead to new ways of thinking and ultimately new ways of doing things that will make your WHY and your goals a reality.

THOUGHTS lead to FEELINGS which lead to ACTIONS which lead to RESULTS!

Your WHY is the fuel for your motivation that will consistently keep you on track:

• When you find your ‘default’ self trying to talk you into not doing a healthy habit like exercising or eating a healthy meal remember your WHY
• When you feel like you are losing your motivation, remember your WHY
• When you are having a particularly hard week, remember your WHY. 
• When there is peer pressure, remember your WHY.

When it comes to follow-through and successful outcomes Your WHY is everything… And it is the only thing that can get you through the challenging times that threaten to destroy your progress and keep you small. Your WHY will allow you to go big in anything you want in your life.

Willpower is fleeting and it will never outlast the power of a deeply rooted WHY so make establishing your WHY a priority.