http://projectsupermom.blogspot.com/2011/08/simple-as.html

So, I'm off like a shot, working towards my new goals by working my daily "plan" of exercise... nicely spelled out in a beginner 1/2 marathon training schedule calendar (you can find them free online, by the way)...and healthy eating with help from my calorie counter. As one of the recent Biggest Loser contestants would say, over and over, "it's one day at a time, one meal, one decision". If you read about goal-setting, it talks about focusing on all these little things that can get you where you wanna go, so that you're not totally overwhelmed with how to get to the finish line. Sometimes, for me, it's even staying in the moment to finish an interval strong or make it to the top of the hill I'm chugging up or run just that last, agonizing 10th of a mile. I do what they say...try to turn the negative chatter that comes on, when I'm struggling or pushing myself to my limits. The "I can't do this", "this is too hard", "I'm so out of shape", "I don't want to do this", "this isn't for me, and I knew it", and "I suck". Of course, there's the obvious slogans of "just do it" or Tom Hanks' line in A League of Their Own of "it's the hard that makes it good", and I always have a library of clips from songs that I can dial into..."stop, collaborate, and listen" from Vanilla Ice is a favorite...why, I don't know, but it definitely distracts me from my misery. I generally back that up with some positive affirmations that I love, just the thinking about and remembering seeming to get me through the hard moments. Some of my faves come from P90X's Tony Horton: "do your best and forget the rest" and "just keep pressing play".

Now, all that's great for rallying your self-motivation, I know. But, given that I have a potty-training resistant toddler and an exclusively-nursed new baby, my mental game can wane in its strength and dedication. So, you think about all the external motivators like keeping your health, living a long life, doing it for your kids, blah, blah, blah. Then, sometimes the reasons just come to you, as to why it is so important to hold onto and care for "you". One of those reasons was staring me in the face this morning. It was catching a quick glimpse of a couple pairs of new shoes, as I booked into my closet to frantically get dressed. You know the kind...found generally at teeny-bopper stores...sparkly, blingy, or patterened in some zippy design? Ah, yes, those shoes that channel my inner youthful spirit...the shoes that reflect the inner energy that I know I have...the shoes that just scream "me"! Looking at them boistered my weary mind and put a bounce in my dragging step, reminding me of who I am and refocusing me on what I'm trying to do. Sometimes, I guess, your motivators can be just as simple as that.

What simple items do you find that suprisingly motivate you?