Hello, my friends, welcome back to the Healthy Eating for Busy Women podcast. I’m happy you’re here with me today and I’m really excited to devote an episode to motivation today. I know that something we’re constantly grappling with when it comes to healthy eating.And specifically, I wanna talk about […0.4s] why you’re still waiting for motivation to strike and what you can do instead to eat healthy and lose weight. Now I think this is very relatable because motivation feels awesome. It feels amazing.I am a huge fan of motivation, so no part of today’s episode will be knocking that or invalidating the fact that we all love it, right? But I don’t want you to feel helpless without it.I want you to have the tools to […0.5s] eat, making progress and taking action on healthy eating even when you don’t feel like it or motivation isn’t available. I really want this episode to be a resource for those of you who feel like you’re waiting to get started.And I do not want us to have any shame around this or to judge ourselves for this. This is natural to feel like you’re waiting for the emotional […0.5s] push. 2. Finally take action on healthy eating, achieve your weight loss goals and begin the rest of your life as you want it.This is something I did for years, so we are in a safe space here. I had years and years where I wasn’t solving this problem at all. And I really felt like I was waiting to be hit with this revelation or inspiration or really motivation to solve this problem.And what I wanna offer you is that motivation is wonderful. It feels awesome, but it actually ends up being the same pattern every time where we’ll have high motivation to make a change, and then […0.6s] that motivation runs out.We’re left with all of the crappy feelings that we had in the beginning. We no longer wanna follow through, right?And this is just gonna feel horrible. It’s gonna leave us feeling more incapable the more times we’ve done this cycle. So if any part of you is feeling really discouraged with healthy eating or weight loss, like, you’ve done everything.This is also really gonna help you today. Cause it’s really gonna help you make sense of where it’s all going wrong. And you guys, I hear all of the language when it comes to waiting for motivation.So we’ll think I need to get my life together first. I need to get this job promotion. I need to wait till I’m not so busy, the kids go back to school. Our brain will come up with any justification to feel ready for creating this result.And I think there’s two truths happening at once. I always want to make sure that we are creating a culture of trusting your own judgment. So maybe you know that you want to focus on weight loss and healthy eating skills at another time, because there’s really difficult things coming up in life.It’s just not something that calls to you, but I’m speaking for probably the majority of you, if we’re being honest that want this now. You think about this all the time. This is something that you’re done struggling with, but you notice that you keep having justifications to put it off.And I want you to use this episode today to get you over that hurdle, so you can solve this problem now. And the theme of how I want to talk about motivation today, and the results you want is that motivation doesn’t create results.Results are what create motivation, and this is the really big error that we’re having when it comes to healthy eating and weight loss. We will think I’m not feeling motivated, so I can’t take action and create results because I don’t feel like it. But we’re not understanding where motivation comes from. Motivation is fueled by results.So when we consider why we feel motivated, I know for me, I feel most motivated when I’m setting a new goal or I’m getting a new calendar or planner, anything where now I have eyes on something different I want to achieve […0.4s] and will think, oh, I motivated because I just must feel like doing the things or I know I’m gonna get it right this time or something’s gonna change.We’ll have all of these notions for why we feel motivated. And it’s a lot of thoughts that feel hopeful.But really motivation is a spike in dopamine in the brain that comes from anticipated reward, right? So it comes from anticipating the result. And how that gets triggered is because we have created a result in that current moment.So maybe it’s when I create […0.4s] plan for weight loss or we sign up for a new course or haha, we get a new calendar, whatever it is, we’ve taken a step forward and now we feel motivated because we’re anticipating where we’re going.So what can happen is when we’re waiting for motivation is we’ll be like, well, I must just not be motivated as if it’s this external thing that we do not create.What I want you to know is that each result, each step you take in a journey towards naturally healthy eating and permanent weight loss will create a feedback loop of motivation. And that is what we can call momentum. That’s what it is. I want you to just get the train moving. I don’t want you to wait for the train to come pick you up.You hear what I’m saying. I want you to start revolving that train, you know, a train’s wheels were that there’s that long bar on it.And the first time it goes around, it’s kind of slow, but then as it continues to move, it gets faster to the point where eventually the train is moving in momentum on its own. I clearly know nothing about trains, but I hope you guys see the visual here, that is what it is going to take.Now a big misconception with motivation is will think how, well, if I need to take steps to create motivation, then I’m gonna have to force myself, I’m gonna have to push myself, and that’s gonna feel so horrible.And here’s the thing that intuition is correct because we don’t wanna do that. Of course, you don’t wanna push yourself or force yourself that does lead to burnout, and that’s not the case here. What instead we want to do is give you sustainable emotional fuel to take action and reach your goal. So you’re not depending on motivation to do so.And that means we need to get into a more logical, responsible, resourceful mindset with solving this problem. Rather than the positive 100 emotions of motivation, determination, confidence, or the negative 100 emotions of doubt, helplessness, and shame, right?What’s happening is a lot of you are feeling frustrated, doubtful, maybe a little helpless, which is normal.So then we think to get out of this and to push me forward to take action, I must need to be motivated, I need to be determined, I need to be confident, I need to always trust that I’ll follow through.And we’ll think the key to getting out of the negative 100 emotional realm is to jump over to the positive when really I want you to find where this feels neutral, responsible, and logical and to have that lovingly hold hands with the parts of you in the negative 100 that still feel unsure.And I want you to know just because we’re talking about emotional work does not mean that this isn’t the most tactical thing you can do with your eating habits.What is leaving you waiting for motivation is because you think that you should just be able to access the positive right off the bat. When really we just need you to take steps forward, so the motivation can start building because of results you create.So I wanna give you guys a picture of how this can look, and I’ll use a very common client example. So clients often come to me feeling all of those negative 100 emotions that we can feel.So maybe it’s doubt that this will work for them or shame because they haven’t, quote unquote figured it out yet, or helplessness, whatever it is. And for the record, these are all women who hold themselves to a very high standard. They’re very type a women who have a high regard for themselves.They’re also just human. And I’m guessing that may relate to you even if you hold yourself to a high standard. You’re gonna have negative 100 emotions that we wanna be aware of.So women come in feeling those things, it’s exactly where they should be, and then what can happen […0.5s] is they’ll feel motivated in the beginning because they took a step.Right action creates motivation, which is how it all works. So they’ll feel motivation for a time, start with the skills, and then human error happens. Something, quote unquote, goes wrong according to their brain. Maybe they don’t lose weight one week, maybe they’re still overeating, and they had expectations that they wouldn’t.Whatever it is, […0.5s] they now have a negative 100 emotional experience again, where those same things come back around because the motivation isn’t there anymore.It thinks I’m doing something wrong, I shouldn’t have let it get this far, I shouldn’t have this problem, whatever it is, all the really fun stuff that we’ll think, so this is where in the past, a client would have quit or think I just need to wait to feel motivated again. It’s not a good time.All those justification start coming back in. Instead, what happens is we coach through it. We pick out the exact blocks that are occurring, and we allow those to process.So the client can keep taking action, creating results and building that momentum. And then motivation is able to feel like something we can create, but we’re not having to depend on it. Does that make sense?So really motivation […0.6s] is fantastic. You can have that, but it’s not gonna be around forever, and it’s only created through you continuing to create results.How you keep creating results is by having an experience of human emotions that negative 100 that are sustainable. And if you’re waiting for positive 100 or motivation to strike, you’re not gonna be able to meet yourself where you’re at, when you’re feeling the humanness of the negative 100. So I want you to consider this now.If the reason why you’re attached to motivation is because you think you need it at all, you think you need to be motivated to over eat and make healthy eating decisions and to lose the weight, […0.5s] you don’t need that.You want to do those things. If you’re here listening to this podcast, I promise you, you are focused on solving that problem or enhancing your life in that area. You can take action from that neutrality and that groundedness when you feel motivated.It’s a wonderful thing. But sometimes when we’re in that positive 100 motivation, we think I’m never gonna feel the negative 100 again. That’s where it tricks us. Never going to feel the doubt or the shame because I can do this. I really can.But I want you to know that doubt, that shame, that humanness is gonna happen even on your most successful track to healthy eating and weight loss.A rite of passage for my clients as well is the moment they learn they’re not a unicorn. And I say this calling myself out to we all think we’re the unicorns. This is a rite of passage to realize, oh, […0.4s] I’m gonna have human error along the way to building these skills and creating this result.That is the path. And so doubt, shame, and that emotional healing that’s gonna be for me to hold hands with and to navigate and for me to learn how to not suffer in it. And that is what will keep me taking action moving forward and creating momentum and motivation as I go.But this misinterpretation that motivation is what creates action will keep us indefinitely stuck. The real shift comes from when you stop waiting to feel like it. And you instead start taking small aligned action from a place of presence rather than pressure.Progress with healthy eating was never meant to feel […0.5s] fighting motivating and powerful. It was just meant to feel doable. You don’t need to constantly be in a positive mindset to take action.You just need to keep showing up from that more neutral energy. And this is going to positively impact your nervous system. It’s gonna help you relieve stress, and you’re gonna stop feeling that hustly energy throughout your day.Alright, now let’s talk about a process with motivation and healthy eating that you can use now to stop keeping yourself stuck with it and begin taking action on healthy eating and weight loss.Very first thing I want you to do, so important you guys, is to decide your first step […0.6s] always, and I don’t mean just now, each day, each week, each month. Stop trying to figure out a to Z, and instead decide what your a to B is gonna be and take action.Start teaching yourself and your nervous system that you have a capacity to take action at any time without feeling motivated. So much of where we feel stuck is because we’ll set too high of expectations or standards.And interestingly, motivation loves high expectations and standards. Do you ever plan out exactly how you’re gonna lose weight or eat healthy for like months on end? And you’re like, my work here is done, I see how I’m gonna get the results, so I feel really motivated.I know this isn’t just me, of course motivation feels tied to unrealistic expectations, and that can actually feel so overwhelming. So instead, what I want you to do is just decide steps a to B, really for today, maybe you can check that off, cause you’re listening to this podcast.So then tomorrow, what is the next step you’re gonna take? Maybe that’s listening to another podcast, maybe that’s deciding to check in on your emotions to see how they’re compelling you to eat. Maybe it’s to notice your body cues, whatever you next up is, clarify what that is and then take action.This is so much less about moving forward with the result, then it is teaching yourself that you can take action no matter what, even on your worst day. Not because you should do it perfectly or because it’s morally superior to be that way, but because you can handle it. You can do things when you’re not motivated.I think a lot of the feedback we get around this is that you should just be committed, use willpower, just do it.And really that’s not the way our nervous systems work. If you’re feeling resistance to taking action when you’re not motivated, we’ve just got to cede it to your brain and your nervous system. That, that is accessible each day. You can get from a to B we’re not going from a to Z yet. That’s not where we’re at doing.This will be invaluable, so really hear me when I say that I want you to start seeding sustainable action each day, even when motivation isn’t there.The good news is maybe if you’re listening to today’s podcast, you did because you don’t have motivation right now. So this is the best time to focus on that work and little shameless. Ugh. If you want the steps to do so, you have everything in front of you, and you’re not having to second guess.My own, your eating habits membership will tell you exactly what to do, and I will coach you the entire way. So if you wanna make your life easier, feel more relief, and have that as your foundation, go to catrentice com forward slash membership, and I will help you. No. 2.I want you to start associating motivation more with action rather than hope. Okay, so I want you to start attaching the feeling of motivation to when you complete an action, when you get data because you’ve been taking action, when you evaluate your progress, I want you to normalize that experience of motivation rather than the experience of motivation as it relates to hopefulness or anticipation or waiting for the result to arrive. I personally, for me, think those are two different flavors motivation.I think for me, one is related to hopefulness and it feels very disembodying and it feels more childlike, whereas the other feels more deliberate, intentional, feedback based.And so I want you to give yourself a chance to take action with step 1 and to start seeding that action is available anytime from point a to B we’re lowering the stakes and making it available now and then look for the motivation available when you do what you said you were gonna do sustainably. That is what will create momentum.My friend, when you create an input of motivation from action rather than hope, you are going to be able to create any result you want.Third, I want you to expect the human emotions of imperfection to come up. So in other words, a lot of the time we will use motivation as a way to get further away from our imperfections, right? We’ll think, okay, I’m finally gonna get it together this time, I’m finally gonna follow through […0.6s] really with love.We’re never gonna have it all together, and we’re never always gonna follow through. I promise you, if you believe you will, we’re lying to ourselves. And you guys, it took me a long time as a former perfectionist to do that work, but that’s okay.Because actually I want you to just become aware of what motivation keeps you running from, just probably human air and going off plan, overeating, doing it wrong. And we don’t need you to be perfect at doing those things or not doing those things. We just need you to stay in the game. We just need you to keep showing up and making decisions.I think what all of this is tying into is to have healthy eating and weight loss and learning that be sustainable.It doesn’t matter how well or not well you do on any given day. It’s just that you stay in the scale building because you will always get better if you just stay in the care of yourself. You do not need to perform highly or do it perfect or know all the answers. We just need you showing up.Okay, and so motivation has been a coping mechanism to stay away from that because you’re holding out for perfectionism just with love. Be aware of that and what would change if you really solidified with yourself.I’m never gonna be perfect and is the result I want with healthy eating and weight loss worth giving that up […0.4s] in my programs and coaching. I actually have a term for this.I call it morning the loss, which my clients do. We all do together. And it’s mourning the fact that we were ever gonna be these perfect individuals who never do anything wrong.Haha, as funny as that sounds is very true. We all have these performance standards for ourselves, and it’s very common with high achieving women.And so here’s the thing. You can have all the results you want […0.4s] with your body and with your health and with other things, but you’re not gonna be this perfect shiny pedestal human on the other side of that. You’re still gonna be you. You’re still gonna have flaws and air. And that’s okay. We can work with that.Alright, last one I wanna offer is to create some safety in […0.4s] just enough. And what I mean by this is motivation can also come from this belief that we need to do […0.4s] more.So I use the analogy of brushing our teeth a lot and compare it to climbing a mountain. So we can imagine when we’re about to do something really challenging. Of course, motivation feels useful. It’s like, I’ll do something so crazy and challenging and prove something to myself.Right, but I want you to think about brushing your teeth every day. I’m guessing, no judgment if I’m wrong, but I’m guessing you don’t feel this huge sense of motivation to take action on brushing your teeth […0.5s] because you don’t have the same thoughts about it. You know, you don’t need to exert emotional energy towards it.You know, you could take action, you know why you’re doing it and it’s not this huge back and forth. That is what healthy eating was always meant to be. You don’t need motivation with healthy eating and weight loss cause you’re not climbing a mountain.There’s nothing you need to prove to yourself if you believe and feel like you’re about to climb a mountain, that shows where our work is. Right? And so I want you to consider that motivation.While we love it, I think there, again, are two different types of motivations. There’s the calm motivation from that feedback you get when you take action, kind of like my train analogy that creates momentum.And then there’s the hopeful feedback that kind of burns through us really quickly and it doesn’t really match the actions that we’re taking really.You’re eating habits and the results with your body were meant to feel business as usual. It wasn’t meant to be something that you have to push and climb for and strive for. And that is what I’m really here to help you do.So I really hope you took value away from today’s episode. I hope it gave you an indicator of where you can start now to solve this problem. I love you so much. I will see you very soon in another episode