Remember back in the winter when you told yourself you were going to be ripped by this summer? Or how about the time you thought you could commit to looking great in pics for your friend's wedding? Here’s why those time-sensitive weight loss goals never work.
- Controlled Motivation vs Autonomous Motivation. Ticking clock goals like the “back to the office bod” are a form of controlled motivation. This is when our incentive is reward, approval, or punishment-based. But research shows that this pales in comparison to its counterpart known as “autonomous motivation.” This is when your drive to complete a goal comes from your own psychological needs or “intrinsic goals.”
You would have a much better chance of committing to being healthier if instead of thinking ‘I want to look great in a swimsuit’ you thought ‘I want to commit to eating healthy because I feel better when I do.’ Looking hot AF is simply never going to be an intrinsic goal because it’s based on everyone else’s standards which you should remember are not only unrealistic but always changing.
Source:Vice