Sharing some wisdom

October 25, 2010

First, thanks so much for the encouragement after the yoga video I posted last night. Even after hitting 82 pounds lost today, it is still very much a struggle to move this body and not get frustrated. I get frustrated – it’s normal! So just keep your head up and keep going.

To follow up on some of the comments- yes, there are some modifications in the video- the side plank for example, you can have your legs from your knee down on the ground to give stability. I just wanted to try the “normal” way. You saw what happened :) Is every video made for every body? Absolutely not. It’s all trial and error to find something that you enjoy and that you feel your body can handle.

Switching gears: something I’ve noticed (even more than normal) in comments, emails and tweets the past week or so is people saying:

“you’re doing great, if only I could find the motivation.”

I have to say, motivation and action can start the whole “chicken and egg” debate. Some think you have to be motivated to take action. I would completely argue the other way: you can take action without motivation. You can walk around the blog without REALLY wanting to. You just do it. You can skip dessert tonight without WANTING to, you just do it. There are days I want to stay in bed under my blanket and not get up so early for a gym workout. Heck, there are MANY days like this. The difference between success and failure can be determined by action. The motivation will come.

I was talking to my longest bestie Anne today and she shared with me something that her friend Nicole sent her. Anne just started running, and is hoping to run an entire 5k. I have no doubt she’ll do it easily. Nicole started off running slowly and is now a marathoner. I, my friends, am not a runner, but this is an awesome summation of how I feel right now:

DLF > DNF > DNS
dead last finish > did not finish > did not start
it’s better to finish last than to not finish and it’s better to not finish
than to never have started

So when you plop on your ass trying to do a side plank, remind yourself this.

When you’re reading this blog and thinking of sending me a message of “that’s awesome, but I’m not motivated,” remind yourself this.

When you are faced with an entire bowl of chips and queso and want to drown your sorrows in it, remind yourself this.

Motivation does not always have to be present for you to take action. Take action, and you’ll be surprised at how easily the motivation will find you.

Many thanks to Nicole, who blogs at OK, Let’s Do This! for letting me share her wisdom today.

Tagged as: action, motivation

  • Adrienne

    I totally get your point, but I think it’s more than just taking action. I take action all the time. Most Mondays, the 1st of every month and definitely every January 1, I take action. It lasts anywhere from hours to weeks, but rarely ever more than that. Motivation is what’s needed to consistently take action. I can take action every Monday, but if I can’t stay motivated to keep it up, I do what I have done for years – stay the same…..

    • http://skinnyemmie.com Skinny Emmie

      Adrienne- I COMPLETELY get this. I’ve been there, done that x 100. I think there is no shame in trying repeatedly. In taking action, even if it’s only on Monday’s or on New Years Day, you’re acknowledging that you want something to change. At some point, during some action, things will start to fall into place. Maybe Monday you realize whatever you did wasn’t TOO awful so you do it again Tuesday. Motivation helps, for sure, but I don’t want people to think they have to have some deep-down-gut-level crazy motivation to be successful. You’ll find it- I know it. Until then, keep acting :)

  • http://www.jewonadiet.blogspot.com/ Ms Mel

    I think this: DLF > DNF > DNS is fantastic! Also, Susan Powter, the weight loss infomercial “fat makes you fat” woman, has a quote I love: “There is no motivation fairy. The motivation is in the doing.” Or my ol’ pal Yoda, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

  • http://thewomaninsideme.blogspot.com/ Kimberly

    I’ve got nothing to add. Bravo! Well said.

  • http://onprogram.blogspot.com Tanya

    Great post!!

  • http://rosieisaloser.blogspot.com Rosie’s Weight Loss Blog

    You are amazing. That’s all.

  • http://www.mizfitonline.com MizFit

    yes GIRL I LOVE THAT!!

    take action and motivation will find you.

    may I add:

    MOJO SCHMOJO :)

  • http://www.fatlittlelegs.com Sarah @ FatLittleLegs

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE the quote at the end. Have already copied and printed out to post on the wall of my cube @ work. Thanks!

  • Amelia

    Well said

  • Gryph

    I have several friends (some of whom are fatter than me, and several that are skinnier) who are so impressed by how often I work out and wish they could do it but X. They forgot their water bottle that day, the gym is too far away, they don’t have time, they don’t have money, they something something something. And I tell them there’s always a reason not to do something. It’s HARD to get the energy up to work out when you don’t, but if you keep trying, it will get easier, it will get fun. Finding the energy to work out, for me, comes from working out. So when I don’t want to go…I go anyway, and when I’m done, I’m glad I did.

  • Maia

    I agree. There are definitely times when I sure as hell don’t want to work out, but I’m addicted to seeing those numbers move on the scale now! I think if people just do something at first, the motivation will come.

  • http://www.CurvyGoddessLounge.com The Curvy Goddess

    You so hit the nail Emmie! It is really about action and then that energy of feeling you’ve accomplished something and the endorphins will pick up momentum and will turn into momentum one day…but don’t depend on momentum to get yourself into action because that day will likely not come.

    • http://www.CurvyGoddessLounge.com The Curvy Goddess

      Gosh that didn’t make any sense. I meant taking action will one day hopefully sooner than later into motivation or even better inspiration.

      Waiting for motivation to come and thwack you in the head usually doesn’t happen.

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  • http://justabitwicked.com MsGigglepuss

    You are right on with this. My motivation was nada when I started working out again. I just knew I had to do something. And then I did it the next day because I had it scheduled. And again. The motivation came later! It’s more of a habit than motivation pushing me to keep moving.

  • http://www.emilysinnerskinny.blogspot.com Emily

    Great post, Emi!!

    I love the little “formula” your friend shared with you. It’s hard to keep in mind sometimes that TRYING is worth it, even if you don’t suceed right away.

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  • http://debbidoesdinnerhealthy.blogspot.com/ Debbi Does Dinner Healthy

    Fantastic post!! SO TRUE! I love the DLF – DNF – DNS. SO GOOD! I’m so going to give a shout out to you on my blog, I love this. Thank you!

  • http://trigirl.blogspot.com Karla

    Motivation, like willpower, can be a transient thing, I’ve found. I’ve worked hard to change my mindset, the same way I did when I quit smoking (finally! after 20 years of attempts).

    Changing your mindset takes time and effort and is not, in anyway, a quick thing, but once you HAVE changed your mindset (I don’t want to be smoker anymore, I don’t want to be to big to fit in a rollercoaster car/airplane seat/my favourite jeans anymore) and you TRULY believe that you can make different choices, then motivation follows.

    (That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it!)

  • http://thegardenweigh.wordpress.com Cynthia

    Such a great post! It’s true, wait around for motivation to strike and chances are, you’ll be waiting around for years before that happens, if it ever does. Taking action is the best way to get motivation going. However, sometimes you gotta prime the pump and get some motivation to just take action. That’s what I finally had to do, literally bribe myself with rewards to produce enough motivation to take action. However, it’s working. More and more, I’m thinking about how I want to be and the actions follow.

    Trust me, most days I don’t feel strongly motivated to exercise or eat right. I just do it anyway, to the best of my ability on that individual day. Then repeat. Some days I fail utterly and I just put those behind me and go for my best me again.

  • http://bertybuzz.com Scarlett

    Stumbled upon your blog while google-searching for a spin bike seat solution (they hurt my bum too!). Wow, what a happy discovery. I think you are just fabulous… AND GORGEOUS!

    Thanks for sharing your personal experience with everyone. It’s brave and beautiful. I’m also on a weight-loss journey and it’s bloody serious stuff, so kudos to the -82!!!!!!! AMAZING_HARD_WORK!!!!!

  • http://workoutsforhome.com Susan @ Home Workouts

    Hi there – regarding the following statement: “Motivation does not always have to be present for you to take action. Take action, and you’ll be surprised at how easily the motivation will find you.”

    I sort of have to respectfully disagree with you. In my opinion, lack of motivation is the #1 reason why people fail to meet their weight loss goals. Without motivation, aka: an internal reason/drive to do something, there is no real reason to do, or not to do, something.

    In your example of the queso and chips, which is so awesome and a diet weakness for many people, what real reason would they have to not eat it, if better health and weight loss wasn’t at least on their mind?

    It is absolutely imperative that you stay motivated.

    Just my thoughts :-)

  • http://www.waistingtimeblog.com Karen

    Wow! That is an eye opening way to think about it. Because I have not been motivated lately. But now I can shift that paradigm and move on:)

  • http://thegardenweigh.wordpress.com Cynthia

    @Susan, I don’t know… and I think everyone will have to find their own reason not to eat it. Or, they eat it and find a reason to cut back elsewhere! But the act of not eating it or the act of consciously eating it and then incorporating it as part of a plan is an action step.

    I do know that that better health and weight loss are ALWAYS on my mind and it still doesn’t always work to prevent “queso & chips” style episodes. I think for some of us, the road seems to be so long that it’s just hard to stay motivated *only* because of health/weight loss. I also think that “lack of motivation” is the prime excuse people use for not ACTING to improve things. So nothing changes. Sometimes you have to act to FIND motivation. Waiting for it to find you… almost never works.

    Sometimes you just have to take a step towards a better self in order to start finding motivation to be that better self. It might be a small action, but small actions add up. The motivational steps in your link, are interestingly enough, ALL ACTION STEPS! NONE of them are tips on “being motivated” or “reasons to be motivated”. They are tips on taking actions. Just sayin’.

    Maybe the deal is instead of making motivation a constant thing, you just have to take action steps over and over and over until they become habit and it feels weird not to take them. Or you start to feel good and then the motivation appears.

    Maybe action and motivation are the same darned thing. Or not. But motivation, without action, leads nowhere. I can feel motivated as all heck while sitting on my couch watching Biggest Loser on TV, but if I don’t take those feelings and make actions out of them, nothing happens. I can take actions that I don’t feel especially motivated to do, lets say HOUSEWORK, but it burns calories. It builds my feeling of self worth because I’m DOING instead of waiting around to feel motivated. I rather doubt I’ll ever feel truly motivated to house clean, LOL!

    Anyway, off to vacuum the bedroom.

  • http://iamgoingdown.wordpress.com Veronica

    Holy crap, this never even ocurred to me! I’ve often said and thought the same thing…that I want to lose weight/eat right/exercise, but don’t have the motivation yet. But you’re right–I do force myself to exercise every day now and THAT is what motivates me to keep doing it! It’s not my motivation keeping me exercising, it’s the fact that I’m forcing myself to do it. Thank you for sharing your infinite wisdom with your grasshoppers. :)

  • http://www.110pounds.com Lisa

    People ask me to motivate them all the time. I just stare at them blankly. I guess some people just don’t “get it.” Motivation comes from within. I can’t lose the weight for you!

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