One of the reasons why we don’t meet our goals is because we lack motivation. When we’re not motivated things don’t happen - the house doesn’t get cleaned, we don’t get to finish a project in time, we don't get to work out. There are ways to get out of the unmotivated rut and this list from Verywell Mind gives you some ideas.

Act as If You Feel Motivated
You may be able to trick yourself into feeling motivated by changing your behavior. Act as if you felt motivated, and your actions may change your emotions. For example, rather than sit on the couch in your pajamas all day waiting for motivation to strike, get dressed and get moving. You might find that taking action will increase your motivation, which makes it easier to keep going. So ask yourself, “What would I be doing right now if I felt motivated?” Consider what you’d be wearing, how you’d be thinking, and what actions you’d be taking. Then, do these things,...

Mark Twain said “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” This applies to any goal we want to achieve in life. Sometimes though life happens, we get stuck, and our motivation is nowhere to be found. This is when we need to whip out our toolbox and dig into the tools to get us back on track. One of the important areas where we need to stay motivated is getting some exercise and movement. Health expert Tana Amen has some excellent suggestions on how we can keep the fire going when it comes to exercise.

Make a list of the benefits you get from being physically active.
I’m a big fan of making lists of pros and cons, and doing this for exercise can help motivate you to get moving. Sure, decades of research show that exercise is a wonder drug…without the side effects. It improves moods, reduces stress, and boosts brain health. But I want you to create a personalized list. How does being active make you feel? More energized?...

No matter how hard we try, most of us couldn’t  simply head out the door and run 26.2 miles. If we want to run a marathon, we’re going to have to train for it. Effort alone just won’t cut it. 

But what if you woke up each morning and trained to run a marathon by following an exercise program, a running schedule, and a recovery schedule? Almost anyone will have the ability to successfully complete a marathon. That’s the difference between training and trying.

The key is to train for what you want! Training requires action and a shift in mindset.It involves taking small intentional steps that in the end add up to remarkable results!

This week as you look for practical ways to fuel your potential, ask yourself what area of your life would you most like to change and have you been training or just trying in that area?” 

Don’t beat yourself up if you’ve been just “trying” and not formally “training”....

Changing our behavior can be challenging. You've probably noticed that!

We at RISE have been obsessed over the past several years to learn everything we can about the science of behavior change. We want it for our lives, and it’s our great joy and privilege to be able to share the learnings with YOU!

This week we wanted to feature an excerpt from the bestselling book Atomic Habits by James Clear – as it is one of the best written texts of how to transform our lives one simple step at a time…

"We all want to become better people — stronger and healthier, more creative and more skilled, a better friend or family member.

But even if we get really inspired and start doing things better, it's tough to actually stick to new behaviors. It's more likely that this time next year you'll be doing the same thing than performing a new habit with ease.

Why is that? And is there anything you can do to make change easier?

What you do now is a mirror image of the type of...