I’m starting a new series of posts here on my blog: I want to talk about motivation and what helps us to feel motivated. I think it’s an important thing to discuss, and I also think that a lot of people conflate “motivation” with “inspiration.”
What helps get me moving:
One of the things that gets me moving is seeing previous successes start to add up. For example, I am working on losing weight. When I track my food and my exercise and see the results adding up with the loss of pounds, that helps to keep me motivated and moving forward.
Tracking progress is important. Even if you’re having successes, if you’re not tracking how these add up, you’re missing out on a key push factor for having future successes. I always find that when I am good about tracking my various accomplishments, it helps push me forward to further accomplishments.
What could you start tracking so that you can move forward in your goals?
How to track progress:
First you have to decide what “progress” looks like for your particular goals. For the weight-loss example, it’s clear: Moving toward that goal weight.
Then, you need to figure out what you will track. Will you simply track the amount of weight lost? Will you track calories and exercise minutes?
Finally, you need to find a system that works for you: a spreadsheet, database, app, etc. I use MyFitnessPal to track calories, exercise, weight, and body measurements.
So, what gets you moving?
What are the things that help you get and stay motivated? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
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Published by Ronda Bowen
Hello there, and welcome to my page! I have been working as a full-time freelance writer and editor since 2008 when I decided that while I rather enjoyed philosophy, the Ph.D. program I was in was not a good fit for my life goals. Since then, I have published many papers and articles, started two blogs, worked as a senior editor for a magazine, served on the board of a start-up non-profit organization, and walked across fire.
I strongly believe that it is important to work to make the world a better place – one project at a time. I’ve worked with Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program to construct living quarters for those in need, written content for Stonewall Alliance, and edited the newsletter for my local natural foods cooperative. One of the blogs I founded, Activism My Way is dedicated to helping people get involved with causes they feel passionate about.
Although my academic background is in philosophy and social and political theory, my heart has always been in writing fiction and poetry. I have a novel in progress, and I am working on putting together a collection of short stories to share with readers. I also worked as part of a creative team on a project with a hip hop artist that involved world-building and creating an amazing back story to a concept album. I have worked with several authors to edit their novels (as well as dissertations, children’s books, journal articles, and non-fiction projects).
Non-fiction topics I have written about include pop culture and philosophy, project management, business startups and management, insurance, technology, and much more. I also have created web content for a wide variety of clients (ranging from gas station owners to hotels to lawyers), and I’ve had an opportunity to interview some amazing people (Michele May, Kevin Sorbo, Barbara Taylor Bradford, and Mark Victor Hansen to name only a few). Needless to say, I love what I do.
I enjoy photography, and my subjects these days are usually my children as well as food, beverages, craft projects, and other such things for my blog, Wining Wife™. My favorite subjects are landscapes, nature (particularly clouds, flowers, and trees), and architecture.
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Ronda Bowen 
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