Have you found yourself on some path towards a goal, no matter what the goal is, and at some point, there’s stagnation? You still want the goal, but for some reason the fire that got you started isn’t quite burning like it used to. Well, your certainly not alone.
It’s SUPER common. And there is a very simple reason why.
When we first start working on a new goal, we are often trying to move away from pain. If it is a financial goal, maybe you were flat broke. If its fitness maybe you were bullied because of your weight. Whatever it is, something either happened to you or you go to a point where the pain of your situation outweighed your tolerance and so you act, which is fantastic!
But now, your progress has stalled. This is usually a sign that you have moved far enough away from that initial point of pain that it is no longer as big a driver as it used to be. Which is actually a good thing because it means you have made progress!! However, if you still are not where you want to be then here are 2 ways to approach the next step.
- Find pain in your current position. A new point of pain that is going to relight the furnace. If it’s a fitness goal, getting a training partner or gym buddy’s that are ahead of you could a great way to do this that’s healthy. Are there things you want but still can’t have? Connecting with that can also relight the fire.
- This is the flip side of point one. Its time to move towards pleasure! Now that the pain is no longer there, it is time to connect with how good your future can be. What’s something you could only dream of before that is now just beyond your reach? Connect with that next thing, that version of you that you need to become. That personal growth can be a huge motivator in itself!
This next goal, the idea of moving towards pleasure is often the piece that a lot of us miss when it comes to achieving our long-term goals. Complacency then creeps in because there isn’t something driving us to keep up the habits we have built, and then, inevitably, we regress and start back to where we started. So, if you feel like that is where you are at right now, don’t beat your self up, take some time to think about what you truly want to move toward. What future pleasures do you want to have? Holidays? Running 10km? X amount saved? Really think about what is important to you and then plan out the steps and actions that you need to take. And as your doing these things, as you’re ticking off the milestones along the way, those hits of joy and success will fuel your motivation, rather than waiting for the next hit of pain and regression.
