What’s your motivation for health? This is without doubt the biggest factor in whether people meet their health goals or fall miserably short time and time again. Motivation can feel so illusive, like it comes and goes with no control from us.

The truth is though that you can stay motivated most of the time once you understand what motivates you and how a simple tool can help you stay focused on what really motivates you. So before I share these exciting and simple tools with you, answer this question…What, specifically, do you want to achieve in the area of health?

Do you want to lose weight? Create more energy? Reverse diabetes? Lower blood pressure? Lower cholesterol? Double or triple your energy so you don’t have to struggle through each day? Get rid of cancer?

Whatever it is for you, the key ingredient to making it happen is getting absolutely clear on a big, juicy, compelling, inspiring reason to get there. Now I know this sounds so simplistic, but it’s so important to remember this and work on it.

Without a compelling reason to make something happen whatever you are after will never happen! This is the number one reason 95% of peoples goals go unachieved. People get clear (although not always crystal clear and specific) on what they want but fail to get absolutely clear on why they want it. The result is a life full of unfulfilled commitments and disappointments.

There is good news though. The antidote is simple. You have to find a reason that is big enough to you to keep you on track. Now this reason is different for everyone. But let me ask you this: If someone had a gun to the head of someone you love deeply and would pull the trigger if you didn’t make your health goals a reality, do you think you would manage to make the changes happen? Of course you would! It’s a no brainer.

So the trick to making sure you have a motivation for health is to make sure you find within you the thing that makes you absolutely have to make it happen. Again, this can be different for everyone. One person’s motivation for health could be a diagnosis of serious illness while another person’s motivation for health could be so they can feel significant at the next works Christmas party.

Another motivation for health could be that someone felt such a level of embarrassment when they overheard a comment about their body that they decided there and then they would never allow that to happen again and will transform their health and body once and for all.

Another person’s motivation for health might be that one of their parents died early and missed out on meeting the Grandkids and they decided they would not deprive themselves of that experience. While another person’s motivation for health could be that they want to feel sexy to their partner again like they did in the beginning of their relationship.

You see, the reasons are varied but the principle is the same. When you find the reason inside of you the journey becomes a simple process instead of a tough fight. In my experience, it’s very often small subtle reasons that we ignore that have the most power to move us to consistent action.

So here’s what to do. A simple exercise to find your powerful reasons to make your health goals happen this year. Get a pen and paper and put some inspiring music on. Get writing for 5 minutes about all the reasons you can think of that might be enough of a driving force. Think about all your family and friends. Think about your future, your hobbies, and your career. Think about what might happen in the future if you don’t look after yourself. Dive in deep and dig out all the reasons you can think of for 5 minutes.

Once you’ve finished that part, read back through your reasons you have written down and get a feeling for the ones that move and inspire you the most. You may even find that subtler reasons that you didn’t write down initially start showing up in this part of the process.

Pick the one, two or three reasons that resonate with you the most, which compel and inspire you. Write them down and carry them with you everywhere and every time you start to slip, pull them out and read them and reignite your motivation for health.