If you want to stay motivated to stick to New Year’s resolutions or any new habit change, here’s
some quick ideas about how motivation works and some tips on how you can make motivation
last. It’s not easy, but with some strategy, it might be more do-able than you think.
First, it’s helpful to understand how dopamine works. When we first decide to make a change
we can get a surge of dopamine in our brains. It’s new, and just the idea about making a
positive change is exciting in the beginning. Dopamine peaks when we are reaching for what we
want. When we start to make the change, we often run into obstacles, or blocks, that call into
question two primary motivating beliefs- 1) Can I do it? 2) If I do it will it help me? Internal
blocks include feelings, thoughts and old habits that can lead to a motivation drop and decrease
our confidence in those beliefs. Here’s an example:
Uncomfortable Feeling (physical discomfort, impatience, frustration) related to the new change
Thought (“I don’t know if I can do this”)
Dopamine/Motivation Decreases
Old Habit Returns
Frustration Reinforces Giving Up – more negative beliefs, lack of confidence No wonder people give up on making changes! So, what can we do to get ahead of this to sustain motivation and make lasting changes? Here are five simple steps.
Step #1 Broad Goal Statement– what you want to change related to a value that is important to you (i.e., improve health and fitness, self care, do more things for others)
#2- Planning Steps- Writing/Planning Steps releases dopamine and it makes it more likely to get started from idea to action. Steps include:
● 1) The Set Up– everything needed (weights, workout clothes, workout plan, locationhome or gym and weights or machines needed),
● 2) Small, Do-Able Actions to get started this week (work out 3 times for 20 minutes
using an exercise app tracker)- actions need to answer “yes” to “I Can Do It”
● 3) Regular Evaluation Time– a chance to look at how it’s going- what’s working and what needs to change? Reviewing what is working releases dopamine and reinforces the new behavior, learning takes place and it motivates us to keep it up. Failure is part of the process and not a reason to quit, so understanding that helps us use what isn’t working to focus on the next small step that is do-able (I can do this). Even in failure if the tweak is small and do-able there it is more likely we will do it.
#3 – Overcoming Internal and External Blocks-
● Feelings– tired- start with short, light workout, uncomfortable and hard – I can do hard
things
● Thoughts– take too much time- have a plan that’s efficient, 20 minutes is better than 15,
15 is better than 10.
● Old Habits– waiting to the last minute- decide on a workout plan in advance, get clothes
picked out and ready, do some prep work to make it more likely to do the new ting
● External Blocks (recliner, video games, TV, other people) anything outside of ourselves
*Strategies for overcoming blocks need to reinforce the two motivating beliefs:
i I Can Do It
ii It Will Help Me
#4- Finding Helpful People (parent, teacher, friend) providing support and accountability
#5- Anticipating Rewards- looking forward to the payoff is a motivator and answers “yes” to:
“If I Do It, It Will Help Me.”
It’s a simple process, and it works. I’m living proof. Nine years ago I made a video about this
and used my own personal exercise goals. Nine years later I am still meeting them. So start
motivated and stay motivated with these simple, do-able steps. You can do it, and if you do, it
will help.
