Today is your opportunity to build the tomorrow you want”
Ken Poirot
January 1, 2024… A new year… A reason for a fresh start… A day that is filled with goals, resolutions and a fresh perspective on the upcoming months, and a chance to leave things that aren’t serving you anymore in the past.
That statement is something we all think about, talk about, and put into action on January 1st. Each and every year.
Fast forward to March 2024. How are we doing? Are we making progress towards our goals? Have we created a vision board? Have we lost motivation? Are we feeling stuck? Ready to give up already?
At the start of a new year, we are all hyped up and ready to kick start our goals. Your family & friends also riding the new year high. Everyone is doing dry January, not going out, saving money, diving head first into their new year resolutions. By the end of January, you are feeling good, you believe in yourself, the alcohol fuzziness is leaving your body, and you’re starting to see little change.
February 1st hits, and its like a light switch. Everyone is slowly falling back into their old ways and old habits. The new year, new me high is gone.
A word of advice… Don’t fall into that trap. I’ve fallen into that trap, we all have fallen into that trap, year after year.
I am here with you, head down grinding each and every day.
One thing I want to discuss that has been the biggest factor in my mental toughness journey and that has help keep me in check with my goals. That one word is called…. drumroll please…
Ahhhhh yes.. the lovely discipline. Love it or hate it. It’s what will change your life. Motivation comes and goes, you get super excited about a goal and you start putting in the work. A lot of the time the work isn’t glamorous, or you push yourself too hard too fast and you get burnt out, you lose that spark, you lose sight of your why, which will then make you lose that motivation.
The best of the best lose motivation, it’s a natural occurrence. But the act of discipline that you practice and put into play every single day is what is going to keep you going. I said it once and I will never stop saying it. Discipline is what will change your life. Discipline is what will get you to that next level. Discipline is what is going to be there when that motivation is gone.
I want to share a few tips on using discipline to get that motivation and drive back.
First things first… habits baby. Habits make your world go round!! They keep you into a consistent disciplined state. I maybe weird, but I forking love habits. Habits keep me in my routine, keeps me clear minded, helps me stick to my goals and keep me in check. Building positive habits and removing old ones can be difficult and they are going to take work, but the payoff is immeasurable. Discipline plays a key factor in building habits because the only way they will form is if you keep working at them even when you don’t want to. Discipline goes hand and hand with habits. I don’t want to get too far down a rabbit hole discussing habits because let me tell you I can… I will save you all the pain. One of my favorite books that helped kickstart my brain thinking about habits and how to build them is Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book is one of my favorites and I re-read time and time again to keep me in check. The book is in my Amazon shop or I linked it here.
Moving onto Podcasts & Hot Girl Walks (HGW)! These two tasks work so well together. I find when I listen to a podcast when I am on my HGWs I am fully able to immerse myself and zone into the episode. Sometimes when I am doing stuff around my apartment I will also throw on a podcast but I get distracted and I can’t fully invest in the episode. HGWs are so beneficial to your mental health and a way to get outside and move your body. Going off on a tangent, I don’t think people fully understand what going on a HGW means LOL. Throwing on a cute workout set and sunnies truly does something for me.
One of my favorite podcasts is REAL AF with Andy Frisella. It basically feels like Andy is yelling at me through the phone. But let me tell you, it works, it keeps me motivated, and doesn’t allow my bitch voice to take over. If you’ve ever listened to one of his episodes you will know what I am talking about. I discovered Andy’s podcast a few years ago when I did 75Hard. I would listen to an episode a day on my HGWs and wow it truly changed my life and the way my brain thinks. So I highly highly recommend!
Vision boards, journaling, and self-care are little ways you can change the environment around you, clear your mind, and put yourself first. I like to create a vision board on my computer and set as my background as well as my phone. This keeps your eyes always glancing over at the things you want to manifest into your life. I also create a physical vision board that I keep on my dresser. Every time I am in my room, my eyes gravitate towards something on that board and keeps me in check.
Journaling is something I recently started putting emphasis on and building it into my daily routine. I am currently reading The Artists Way by Julia Cameron, also linked in my Amazon shop. This book is a spiritual path into higher creativity. The first thing Julia talks about is a task “morning pages” which every morning you write three pages of whatever the heck is on your mind. Let me tell you. Changed my dang life WOW. It is important to kickstart your days with a clear mind and journaling has truly helped me with that!
Lastly, we have self-care. Aside from habits, I think self-care is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. If you are not taking care of your body, or putting yourself at the top of your priority list every. single. day. You are never going to make the positive changes in your life that you so badly want. This is something I had to really focus on. I was getting burnt out, afraid to say no to people, and not focusing on the things that bring me joy. Once I started making a shift and putting myself at the top of that list, it was eye opening. Acts of self-care can come in so many ways. It doesn’t have to be a skincare routine or taking a bath. It can be reading a book you’ve always wanted to read, doing a load of laundry, cleaning your space, walking around target, or a good cup of coffee. Anything that brings you joy can be an act of self-care. Something that makes you prioritize yourself.
Keeping motivation is hard. It is rewarding but it also can be very discouraging when you don’t have that spark from when you first started. Sometimes that can be a sign to stop, reflect, and get back to you “why.” Life is hard, and it’s not going to always be sunshine and rainbows. Just remember you are in-control of your life and you are the one to make your own sunshine and rainbows.
Every morning, you decide how your day is going to go. Make it count.
