Motivation, goals, achievements… all things that gurus tell us we should have, track and celebrate. For today’s group project, rather than a non-blogging achievement that I’m especially proud of, I’m going to write about an achievement tied to having a goal, and what happened when the goal was met without another follow-up goal to keep me motivated.

Last year I had a goal of getting into good enough shape to go on a scuba diving trip. I needed to increase my cardio and do some strength training. I started doing daily walking workouts with hand weights, increasing the amount of weight gradually and the length of my walking routine. I found a Youtube channel, Fabulous 50s, that helped me keep on track even when the weather was bad. Indoor walking workouts were a great option during the colder months. I bought some hand weights. It was fun, and it was effective. I went from doing the shortest workouts to 30 minute workouts and added some balance routines to the mix as well. When we took our trip, I wasn’t puffing like a bellows. I could assemble my gear, walk into the ocean, enjoy the dive, and walk back out again. Mission accomplished, goal achieved, fun trip had!

Fast forward to today with no future scuba trips on the horizon and I’m back to a huffing, puffing, noodle-arms mess. You would think that general health and a need to build muscle in my older years would be motivation enough to keep up the workouts. You would be wrong. That future fun trip was an essential element for me to stay motivated. Oh sure, there were a few extenuating circumstances. I injured my ankle and took time away to let it rest. I tore a calf muscle and let me tell you, that is a sensation you will never forget–like someone hit me hard with a golf ball. I had to let that heal up for even longer. I lost the daily habit. Without a well-defined purpose to my workouts, I stopped doing them.

I’ve learned something about myself when it comes to motivation. I really do need some kind of external goal to stay motivated. Want to write more than one blog post a year? Join a festival of blogging. Want to get into better shape? Find something more than my general health to get me there. I don’t think I’m alone when it comes to external goals and staying motivated. I admire people who build daily habits and just keep hitting them, but that is not how I’m wired.