Over the last year, after my parents moved in with us, I have been hounding my mother to go for a daily walk. She has put on a fair bit of weight, possibly due to her slowing metabolism.
But despite my pestering, my mother was very reluctant. Nevertheless, she started going for intermittent walks, mostly to buy peace with me 🙂
However, about a month ago, one day when she stepped on the weighing scale, she found that she had lost a few kgs. That day she was all smiles and seemed really excited!
Now, she goes for a walk twice a day and seems much more motivated. I still keep checking in with her but it is no longer a war between us.
I realized that even when our goals are long-term goals, short-term wins can really keep you going. Any victory, no matter how seemingly trivial, activates our brain’s mesocortical pathway, which creates a feeling of reward and motivation.
Small, intermediate wins are the motivation hacks you might be looking for.
Identify them. Acknowledge them. Because a win is a win — nothing is too trivial.
– Rajan