Better Late Than Never

Also, better any time than never!
I've been thinking a lot about why people do things, and also about why they don't do things. Motivation, willpower, and self-control seem like commodities these days, with everyone's stash running low. Most people look outside themselves to find it all, but I think for long-term success you need to find that well inside yourself.
I'm a personal trainer, and part of my job is motivation and encouragement. I love this part of my job! It's the easiest part! I am sincerely thrilled for someone who is reaching toward and achieving their goal. But unless you want to pay someone for the rest of your life you have to find a way to motivate yourself to your goals.
So how does one do that?
Well, you can't go from 0 to 100; you have to take baby steps! Small changes are a hell of a lot easier to implement and maintain than whole-hog lifestyle upheaval. It's also a lot harder to quit doing *everything* when you started it all at different times. Quitting something takes a big toll on our egos, and can make it even harder to attempt the same thing at a later date. So why not set yourself up for success and takes steps towards your goal (instead of one giant leap), and be more forgiving when we have to take a step or two backward.
Speaking of baby steps, how do you motivate kids? You reward them! You praise their effort, their success, and you reward them with something. So, it makes total sense to reward yourself along the way to reaching your goal. The tricky part is, you have to reward yourself like a parent rewards a child. If a kid got pick their own reward, we'd all be in trouble. The same goes for adults! Dieters rewarding themselves with junk food, exercisers rewarding themselves with too many days off, procrastinators rewarding themselves with... too many days off. It makes no sense. Pick a reward that doesn't undermine all your hard work!
You don't have to think long-term if it's keeping you from taking the first step. I have been hearing a lot of "I'll start my diet after the holidays," lately. The problem here is that after the holidays, there are only 11 months until the holidays, and we all know they come quicker every year. So many people choose not to start any diet change at all because they can't see the end of "forever" but they can see the upcoming event at which they would rather not be on a diet. Think in terms of days, or weeks, instead of weeks and months. Start with today. I love the quote "a year from now, you will wish you had started today." So start today; stop putting it off.
Find your own motivation. When you set a goal, how clear is it? It is specific? Is there a time frame? Do you know what you need to do to reach it? If you have answered yes to those 3 questions then you are *choosing* not to reach your goal. Is there an emotional reason you're choosing to put off reaching your goal? Are you scared to reach it? Why are you scared? Success is nothing to be scared of! And believe me, once you reach your goal you will have a new one soon after! If there is a question you answered no to, fix it! Clarify your goal, set a length of time, and figure out what action you need to take.

I believe that achieving our goals is made a lot easier when we are truthful with ourselves. Do I have an attainable goal, is it reachable in the amount of time I have, do I know what I need to do to achieve it?

There is no reason why you shouldn't be striving for something for yourself RIGHT NOW.