If a goal is too hard or too easy there is a chance it won't be accomplished. The trick is to work on tasks that are on the edge of our current abilities.
Keep tasks challenging but not impossible, and you will remain invested in them for long.
When it comes to motivation-especially for health and fitness goals-being an "inny" or an "outy" can make all the difference. The "inny" I'm talking about is "intrinsic motivation," or a drive to achieve that comes from inside a person and isn't motivated by external rewards.
Internal motivation, thedrive to achieve that comes from inside a person is the kind of motivation that can lead to life-changing improvements and well-being.
It means believing in your ability to perform a task and achieve goals. There are 3 ways to build self-efficacy:
Ensure early success. When first starting out, choose activities you're certain you can do successfully.
Watch others succeed in the activity you want to try. This is particularly effective if the person you're observing is similar to you (friends, neighbors, co-workers).
Find a supportive voice. Personal trainers and coaches are skilled in giving appropriate encouragement, as are good friends (usually).
A fundamentally independent thinker understands that nothing makes a person upset, angry, or depressed; rather, what a person thinks about the world determines how they feel.
Remember at the beginning of the year, you made New Year's resolutions to stop smoking, lose weight, exercise more, think positively? And then remember how easy it was to slide back into old patterns about six days later? Why is it so hard to stick to your goals? Because change is big.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle If you could just pick one or two (or seven) habits to create in the next few months - habits that will have the most impact on your life - what would they be?