It can be so easy to give up or not push ourselves a bit. When we have a goal that stretches us from our normal.
Over the years I have seen people who say they want to accomplish something but then do not because they do not push themselves a little each day or week in order to meet that goal. If it is a physical challenge they do the minimum they can then stop.
Their progress is slow or they never improve. They then compare themselves to others who have worked harder then their minimum and are demotivated.
By setting a goal with a deadline that stretches your limits a bit you can surprise yourself when you meet it. How amazing is it to do something you never thought you could do?
That is the same with milestones or steps to reach your goal. If you have to push yourself a little to reach them you will feel so much accomplishment it can keep you motivated to strive for the next one.
In order for this to keep you motivated you do need to set goals that stretch you a little in a time frame that you can reach. Then work a little harder each week to reach that goal. If you set a goal that is too difficult or easy it has the opposite affect.
I had a step goal of 10,000 steps and wanted to return to that after surgery, so when I went back to work I took my normal route, and walked throughout the day as I had before. I would come home exhausted and not able to do anything.
I could barely make it through the day.
After a couple of weeks I decided that this was not working. I was not getting fitter, I was not even reaching the 10,000 step goal. I wanted to give up.
Instead I set a goal to be able to reach 10,000 a day.
I had a step counter so looked at my average steps and reduced it to 2,000 steps a day. I deliberately walked less and started to take the bus into work. when I could reach 2,000 steps I added 250 to that. I took an extra trip to the toilet and to get a small drink. Only a couple of minutes each but they added steps rather than being efficient and having everything I needed at my desk for the morning and waiting until lunch to use the toilet on my way to the lunch room.
When I could reach that step goal 3 days in a row I would add another 250. Some weeks I would add to my goal twice. Soon I was up to 10,000 again but without feeling I had hurt myself or it was too easy.
It was a bit of a stretch for me, some days I had to make an excuse to walk a little more. go to the toilet to put on lipstick again. By the time I reached 10,000 I felt like I had accomplished something and was keen to keep going, so did, I now have a daily step goal of 13,250.
What is a goal that you could set that would stretch you a bit?