What are you missing to increase motivation?

When you think about increasing motivation, the carrot and stick method most likely comes to mind. And if you set out to lose weight, then, of course, it seems to you that the problem lies in the gingerbread. You come to a logical conclusion: you lack discipline, you cannot control yourself. Therefore, you are willing to pay to have a coach torture you in the gym. If you yourself can't get up at 6 in the morning and go for a run, maybe at least the coach will force you to take over.

But, paradoxically, no coach will judge you as harshly as you yourself. It doesn't matter what you did: snooze your alarm multiple times in the morning, skip a workout, or eat a heavy meal before bed. You will still be upset and blame yourself. You doubt you have any willpower at all. Maybe you are doomed to an unhealthy lifestyle and death from your own bad habits? Maybe laziness is in your genes and nothing can be done? Such thoughts have a very strong effect on motivation.

For some reason, it is believed that people leading a healthy lifestyle have an iron will. That they get up early in the morning and go to the gym, no matter what. As if they constantly mock themselves and from this they become better than mere mortals.

Why is this just a myth

Research by psychologists has confirmed that people who maintain healthy lifestyles are not at all distinguished by great willpower, but by a more developed capacity for self-compassion.

Instead of reproaching themselves for some mistakes, they wonder what can be changed in their behavior. Instead of saying to themselves: “I should have forced myself to crawl out of bed early and go to study,” they say: “I was very tired yesterday and because of this I overslept in the morning. We must go to bed earlier today.”

This way of thinking helps to take a sober look at the situation without being distracted by emotions.

Try not to judge yourself next time, but to create all the conditions to achieve the desired result. After all, if your child or friend were in a similar situation, wouldn't you sympathize, would you not try to help?

Be compassionate not only for others, but also for yourself. It's not just that you deserve it. This is also the surest way to solve the problem of motivation.