Finding it hard to make your health a daily priority? Can’t stick to that diet? Are you letting a day off turn into a few days? Or a few weeks? Join the club – I know I’m not jumping for joy at the thought of going to the gym either.

Take today, for example. I simply decided that I didn’t feel like sweating. I just didn’t feel that it was necessary… and I opted out of some much-needed gym time in favor of less perspiration. I guess you could say my motivation’s pretty low.

It’s not like we’re not trying. We set goals, make a plan; but after awhile that goal is hard to remember and it takes a bit more motivation than we originally thought… or more motivation than we feel we have. But that goal is important (why would you have set it in the first place?) so we must dig deep to reach it. Sometimes, real deep.

Whether your goal is to run a half-marathon, lose ten pounds, eat healthy, etc., here are some surefire ways to keep you motivated! Read More »

New year, new you. That’s the whole idea behind new year’s resolutions, right?

Except most resolutions get tossed out the window by February, leaving the resolutioner in the same exact place they were one year before. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are lots of ways to ensure you stick to your goals, one of them being accountability. Simply sharing your resolution with others so you have someone there watching you along the journey will help keep you strong.

So that’s what we’re gonna do. Three CollegeCandy writers have agreed to share their big resolutions for 2010 and document their quest to success. Every month we’re going to check in on them to see how they’re doing and keep them motivated to complete the goals they set for themselves.

Did you make a resolution? Do you want help keeping it? Come along for the ride each month and share your ups and downs in the comments section below. If we all work together we can be happier, thinner, stronger, smarter, richer, whatever-you-want-er come 2011. Read More »

For a few weeks, I was in a rut – a big, blah rut that I couldn’t seem to find my way out of. I was grouchy, apathetic, and basically bored with everything. My self-esteem was not at its usual high-point, and I had no idea what the heck was wrong with me.

I know I lead a charmed life by any standards. I’m single during my senior year, I love my family, I have the most amazing friends, I go to a great school, and I live within five blocks of the most scrumptious fro-yo in the world. Life is great. So why the heck didn’t I feel as great as I should?

Well, even now, a few weeks later and finally back in Happyville, I don’t have an answer to that question. Something was just off, and I can’t really explain what it was. All I know is it’s over now thanks to a few things I did for myself. If you’re feeling funkadelic (and not the good kind) – whether caused by boys, school, or an unsolved perpetrator – maybe a few of these activities will help you claw your way out.

Outdoor Activities: Exercise gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy (and happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, as Elle Woods would say). So get out and go for a hike, or play tennis, or take a dance class! Go solo or with friends, either way, take some time for yourself!
Set a short-term goal for yourself; reaching goals will give you a sense of accomplishment, which generally makes people feel happy and productive. Setting an attainable, short term goal will force you to be proactive and get you motivated. Read More »

Goals are a part of life, whether you are the type of person who keeps them taped to your mirror or stored in the back of your mind. There are big goals, small goals, important goals, “wishful-thinking” goals (Chris Pine will be mine…), etc. Regardless of the type, all require a certain amount of thought, effort, and organization. Goal-setting is not only a blueprint for your own success but also a powerful tool in motivation–who doesn’t need that?

Everyone struggles with motivational issues at some point. With so many stressors and distractions constantly vying for our mind’s attention (alcohol, TV, alcohol again), feeling motivated to complete tasks can be REALLY difficult. However, it is important that goal-setting be a regularly-used skill in our daily lives. Being a serious procrastinator myself (hey, America’s Next Top Model reruns can be a little distracting, OK?), I have found that setting goals have made my thoughts and actions more organized, efficient, and clear-cut.

So how do you maximize the ability of your goals to motivate you?

Dr. Edwin Locke, a pioneer in the research of motivation and goal-setting (and probably a guest star in one of your PSY101 lectures), provides five characteristics of goals that each contribute to the goal’s effectiveness of promoting motivation. You wanna be successful (uh, duh!), take these into consideration:

Clarity
Goals that are clear are ones that are straightforward, able to be measured, and cause you to take action! Being specific is key—adopting a definite time set for a goal and an detailed description of what you want to achieve allows for a better understanding of potential rewards. Vague goals such as “Lose weight” or “Get ahead on schoolwork” are unlikely to motivate. However, goals such as “Lose 30 pounds by September 1st,” or  “Finish 3 assignments for next week before going out to the keg race,” are more likely to create a more tangible ending, therefore boosting motivation.

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We are constantly being told to have confidence, to be optimistic, and that if we believe in ourselves, we can do it!  Well, these eye rolling confidence booster clichés are apparently unnecessary, as a recent study proves that 95% of the world’s population is naturally optimistic.

Hmm..now on the surface this everything-is gonna-be-all right mentality may seem like a positive thing, but where do we draw the line between confidence and cockiness? Between optimism and blind ignorance?

I’m totally a glass-is-half-full sorta girl, but I often wonder if all of that positivity is setting me up for major failure down the road. Is this optimism just setting us up for disaster and disappointment?  For goals that will never be reached and outcomes that are totally impossible?

Is it possible to be optimistic and realistic? What do you think?