By Barbara MacFarlane, MD
Lifesport & Wellness Center
The other day in the office there was a discussion about which patients get the most encouragement from others. We were all surprised to realize that often the most disabled, sick, or injured patient gets the most support and also is given expectations for achievement that are often beyond that offered the ordinary patient.
We talked about how this is more common than we think. Everyone has stories about the patient with an amputated leg who overcame everything and competed in a triathlon race or the patient recovering from a heart attack who later ran a marathon. These are bold expectations that were gladly encouraged and supported.
We wondered why we feel comfortable in supporting such high expectations for patients who have so many challenges. We decided it is all about courage and motivation. These patients have courage and so we gladly help them with motivation.
The Powerful Combination of Courage and Motivation
Courage and motivation often don’t come until a patient hits bottom and there’s noplace else to turn. It takes courage to recover from a heart attack or an amputation. With that courage, motivation is formed by the patient and other people gladly help them with motivation.
However, we all need to find the courage to continually transform, to move beyond our comfort zone and accept that overcoming a challenge is part of life that comes with a certain level of discomfort. And yet it can result eventually in great joy with new wisdom and strength.
How to be motivated without being challenged by a life-threatening injury or illness is the key question. Can people who need to lose weight or who have a family history of heart disease make changes before a critical medical crisis? We need to understand the barriers blocking our motivation. We need to break those barriers.
Breaking the Barriers
Breaking the barriers requires coming out of a comfort zone or the “good enough” zone. Perhaps the patient with the amputated leg or heart attack has no choice in being out of their comfort zone and hence understands courage and motivation better.
There is no limit to potential once these barriers are overcome. People who successfully break these barriers to motivation all have similar characteristics. The characteristics can be outlined as follows: having high integrity, having high energy levels, being able to prioritize, challenging fear, dedication to overall goals, non-conformation, goal setting, enthusiasm, levelheadedness, and being always helpful.
Uncompromising Integrity
To be motivated the patient needs to not cut corners and maintain their integrity. They have high personal standards which are not violated in bad times when they are sick or injured or when getting better is frustrating.
Surrounding a patient with energetic people and enticing goals is of benefit to maintain a high energy level for the patient. Initiating and maintaining a wellness program must be kept in focus or just starting a diet or exercise regimen becomes a waste of time.
People wanting to make changes also have to set priorities. When doing anything in life â€" whether it is work or play â€" you must grasp the ability to prioritize your time. Whatever the task is at hand it should be viewed as the top priority. Once completed, the next priority should be viewed then as the number one priority. Prioritization allows one to focus their motivation on one thing at a time and this is less overwhelming.
Dedication and Facing Fears
Anything worth achieving requires dedication. When achieving your potential as a patient, it is important to focus on your dedication to motivation. Ask everyday how you are dedicated to being motivated.
Fears can easily be a barrier to motivation and achieving one’s potential. Facing fear allows fear not to dictate one’s agenda. Realizing fear is always present in life and facing them head on is important.
Setting aside the way you think something should be done is very useful in the process of developing new approaches to your problem. A new approach helps motivation as well.
Set Goals that Are Achievable
Goals that are pre-determined and specific are the easiest to achieve; staying motivated is also easier with goals that are achievable.
Also, stay enthusiastic about what it takes to get better. Whether that involves taking medication or focusing on physical therapy or getting ready for a surgery, setting and making incremental goals will help you stay motivated as you conquer big challenges.
It is also contagious to others around you.
Maintaining a levelheaded approach to the process of getting better is all important. Be patient and know that getting better takes time.
Helping Others
Helping other patients and people in general with similar problems is very useful when trying to maintain motivation.
Helping others as if we are the expert in getting better makes us proud that we know how to get better and are proud to show how we can do it.
Getting better from an illness, injury or surgery is often a long process. Those with courage and motivation recover better.
It is important to help all patients with their motivation so they can achieve their potential. It is also important to look at motivation as something we can acquire ourselves if we decide to be courageous.
