Any fitness journey that has ever started first began with a single thought. It begins with the want or desire to be more and/or do more. Maybe it begins with the want to lose weight or the desire to be strong. The only one who can start is you. The only one who can keep you motivated is you. The only one who can quit, is YOU.

I’ve learned over time that everything you need (and everything that can hurt your chances of success) comes from within.

Desire.

Pain.

Strength.

Courage.

Negative thoughts.

Optimism.

Fear.

Doubt.

Happiness.

Feeling less-than.

It ALL comes from within.

The journey isn’t always easy. Sure, it starts with a major “high” and a lot of excitement but that will dwindle over time. The “newness” begins to wear off and it becomes more difficult to stay on track. This means that you need to continue to feed your soul and constantly work on having the motivation, the desire and the strength to keep pushing. When you stop feeding your soul, that’s typically when doubt, fear and negative thoughts begin to creep in and take over.

Don’t let them.

This is your life. It’s going to go on no matter what is going on inside your head so you might as well try your hardest to keep the inside of your head a happy place. After all, you’re the one who has to live there. Kick the garbage OUT. Your mind is not a trash can.

When you feel anything but encouraged or motivated, it’s time to buckle down and sort things out.

• Keep a journal – it’s best to write in it regularly but if you’re not much of a writer, definitely try journaling to sort out your feelings when you may be confused, frustrated or sad. Oftentimes when I get upset, the root of the problem is vastly different from what made me upset in the first place. Writing can help you pinpoint what’s going on and sort through your feelings.

• Talk with a person you trust – this is a great way to talk out your feelings and gain encouragement from those who care about you most.

• Remember your WHY

When you get your mind right, your body will follow. Keeping a positive mindset is difficult to maintain but it also creates big rewards. It takes maintenance to stay positive, it’s not “set and forget”. It’s always a work in progress. Negativity is all around us – in the news, on social media, our friends, our family, etc. BUT… keeping our thoughts positive is key to working towards goals and meeting them – whether they’re fitness-related or not.

This is why it’s important to continue focusing on and feeding your mind.

• Read books that inspire you (even just 10 minutes each day)
• Follow (online) and spend time with people who inspire you (athletes, preachers, motivational speakers and/or people who have similar goals)
• Look for motivation everywhere
• Be ready to take on new beginnings
• Be around positive people more often and spend less time with those who are negative
• Make dream boards… DREAM
• Set small goals, then SMASH ’em (repeat.)
• Counteract negative thoughts with positive ones
• Fight for YOU and what YOU want

You started your journey for a reason. When it gets hard (because it does and it will) you need to be there for yourself and remind yourself of why you started. You need to push through the difficult times. Other people can’t do that for you. If living a healthy lifestyle were easy, a lot more people would be doing it. It’s very easy to end up right back where you started. The hard part is staying on track.

Always remember that fitness starts on the inside. Results happen just as much on the inside (if not more-so) than results made on the outside. Your mind is what will keep you going. Your mind will decide where you go.

Keep learning, keep working, keep growing.

Everything you need is already inside you. You just need to put all your energy into what needs to grow and let go of what needs to “die”.