Motivation....it's a funny thing

I collect words of wisdom related to motivation. I love to know what makes people tick, what makes me tick.

I have a list of things I do to motivate myself.

I have a fun calendar. I put stickers on the days when I stayed OP. I put extra stickers for exercise. I also put stickers for good deeds. It’s like 3rd grade over here.

This idea came from a thread that talked about Jerry Seinfeld putting Xs on the calendar for days he worked on his routine. This person suggested doing it for days that we stay OP. I just changed it a bit to include some good deeds. The do-gooding idea came from a yoga instructor. At the end of class she would always read a small motivational passage. The passages were all positive, but one really hit me. It spoke of doing goods deeds for people and not telling friends/family/etc. (It was better worded than that, but that was the concept). This makes the deed like a seed that grows within you, a really special secret.

I read peoples’ quotes that they include in their signature and find where it fits in my life; even if it’s not something I believe or not something I think is motivating. It’s an out-of-your-element mental practice. Once I’m busy doing that, I no longer thinking about food cravings and I’ve done myself some mental exercise.

Do the numbers! Once I start looking at the amount of exercise/time it will take to burn it off, I get motivated to keep OP.

Become allergic to stuff (or just gross yourself out). It’s easy to ”lick the spoon” or “have a bite”. I make my daughter a peanut butter & jelly and for that moment – I’m allergic to those foods or pretend the spoon fell on the floor and is now covered in cat hair . It’s good mental control, makes me feel like an actor.


If the above ideas don’t work….
Keeping OP when I do put stuff in my mouth.

I boil chicken every week, just to have some lying around and easy to access. I keep the broth and I usually don’t salt it or season it (though you cld add a rough chop mix of garlic, celery and onion). Once it is cold, I remove the fat and store it in the fridge. When I’ve gotten home late or have missed my last meal, I quickly pour myself a mug of this and nuke it. It’s warm and filling and really chicken soup-ish. It works for me like tea works for some people.

Snapple diet Iced Tea has been a life saver as well. A nice big glass of that and I can buy myself a few min to cook/prep an appropriate meal/snack.