How to Double Your Intrinsic Motivation & Achieve Your Goals (When Nothing Seems to Work)

The benefits of achieving the goals you set for yourself are clear:

• Achieving goals increases your trust in yourself. With CONFIDENCE, you’re unstoppable!
• With success, you possess MORE TIME & ENERGY to focus on things you love.
• With consistent forward progress, you live a full life with NO REGRETS and LOTS OF MEANING.

The question is, “How do I double my intrinsic motivation & achieve my goals (when I’ve tried everything and nothing works)?”

Enter The Catalyst Technique, the world’s easiest way to reach your goals and eliminate the struggle. Yesterday I shared why SMART goals suck. That’s because they are too complicated and our first reactions are rarely correct.

The other day I met with the nutritionist I’m working with on a candida elimination protocol. “In this phase,” he said, “you can expect die-off. You will probably get some kind of reaction. Maybe flu-like symptoms. Maybe headaches. But expect it. It’s a normal part of the process.”

The pulsing headaches began a couple of days later. Nasal drip. Sucky sleep. Here we go, I thought. Operation Candida Cleanse. The pounding persisted into the next day too. It’s this candida protocol, I told people. I just have to get through it.

I spoke with my hubby later and learned he was experiencing splitting head pain too. Not a big deal until he asked this question:

“Gerilyn, have we been making decaf coffee the past two days?”

“No. Why would we do that?”

“There were two white coffee bags in the cabinet and both said decaf. You told me to make coffee out of the canister and I noticed there was only one white bag now. I’m wondering if you put the decaf in the canister.”

“Of course n…,” I trailed off. “I’m on my way home. I’ll check.”

Swiss water decaf, the empty bag in the trash said. We were experiencing all the classic symptoms of caffeine withdrawal.

My first reaction about the cause of my symptoms was the candida protocol, but my first reaction was wrong. As humans we are biased to believe what we want, blame who we want, and find evidence to support us at every opportunity.

In the same way our goals are rarely what we really want. Reaching these reaction goals doesn’t produce the feelings and satisfaction we thought it would because we realize we don’t want it when we get there. Not at this cost. Not in this way.

I always thought I wanted a six pack. This summer I got one, but decided the cost – losing my butt, starving, decreased strength, and poor sleep – wasn’t worth it. I’m much happier about ten curvy pounds heavier.

What I really wanted was to feel sexy in my own skin, not a certain number or size. When I began focusing on the things that make me feel sexy instead of a certain size, a whole new world opened up.

Yesterday I mentioned that SMART goals often fail because they lack two vital elements:

• simplicity
• your catalyst

Today we’re going to dig deep into the process of uncovering your catalysts so that you can live your delicious life NOW. Next week, we’re going to take this work and make it really simple, stupid simple, to follow-through on so that you build momentum and confidence in your own abilities to get stuff done. Progress, here we come!

The Catalyst Technique (The World’s Easiest Way to Achieve Your Goals Sans the Struggle):

Over the last few years, I’ve achieved goal after goal – in weight loss, health, personal development, performance, relationships, and finances – and a few failures. I’ve also helped other women achieve their weight loss and health goals.

While some people “think” I have intrinsic motivation and a natural drive for achieving goals, I can tell you this: Intrinsic motivation is NOT something you’re born with. It’s a skill you can learn. And when you have the right person teaching you the skills, you can learn them fast.

Last year I noticed my successes sometimes came at a high cost. Frustration, willpower battles, nonexistent sex drive, perfection, deteriorating marriage, and needing a constant source of extrinsic motivation characterized my journey. Years of this up-and-down cycle often went into achieving the goals I struggled with the most.

But consistent struggle makes success all the sweeter, right? Nope, because if you never overcome the struggle – and most don’t – you never experience the success. This is the wrong kind of struggle and prevents so many beautiful women from fully trusting themselves and experiencing the true intimacy they desire.

I believe you know exactly what to do to transform your life, but you just aren’t doing it. What gives?

That’s why I’m proud to share what I call “The Catalyst Technique” with you today.

It’s a simple motivation-producing technique I’ve personally used over the past year that helped me double my intrinsic motivation and pleasurably achieve my goals. Many of my clients have also used this technique to achieve their stubborn goals and have a blast in the process.

Watch this short video:

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As you know, this is just one of the many techniques I’ve developed to get more from less and live the good life. Some of the other techniques are available in my premium private coaching program, flourish, but you’ll hear more about that in the future, so keep your eyes peeled. And if you aren’t on the email list, hop on it.

That said, I’ll be you’re wondering, “How do I use The Catalyst Technique?”

The Simple Process to Using The Catalyst Technique to Double Your Motivation

There are four simple steps to using The Catalyst Technique.

Step 1: Identify your main goals.

Step 2: Identify your primary outcomes.

Step 3: Figure out your catalysts.

Step 4: Shift your focus.

Let’s go over each step in detail.

Step 1: What are you working towards?

What are you currently working towards to add more joy to or to improve your life? These could be health, fitness, nutrition, personal development or relationship-oriented.

Example 1: Lose 10 lbs by summer 2015.

Example 2: Meditate 10 minutes or more, 4x per week.

Example 3: Invest $5000 or more in 2015.

Write down all the things you are working towards or want to accomplish in 2015. Be as specific as possible. No wrong answers here. Just write!

Step 2: What is the result you want from achieving these goals? 

What is the specific result you wish to achieve from reaching your goals?

Example 1: Lose 10 lbs by summer 2015 > wear a bikini

Example 2: Meditate 10 minutes or more, 4x per week > less stress, more patience

Example 3: Invest $5000 or more in 2015. > $5000 + current investments compounding interest for financial security

What’s the result you are hoping to achieve by reaching these goals? Beside each goal, write down the specific outcomes you want.

Step 3: What will having this do for you?  

What will having your specific result do for you? What do these outcomes mean for you?

Example 1: Lose 10 lbs by summer 2015 > wear a bikini > feel sexy 

Example 2: Meditate 10 minutes or more, 4x per week > less stress, more patience > increase discipline, build perspective > improve my communication in my marriage

Example 3: Invest $5000 or more in 2015. > $5000 + current investments compounding interest for financial security > build towards financial freedom in the future > freedom over my time> work less, travel more > making $4000 per month of passive income or interest to live on. 

What’s the result you are hoping to achieve by reaching these goals? Beside each goal, write down the specific outcomes you want. Ask yourself the question as many times as it takes to get to the nitty gritty of your goal.

Look at Example 3 above. What will investing $5000 this next year do for you? Build towards financial security. And what does financial security mean for you? Making current living expenses from non-hours-for-dollars work, i.e., freedom of time. What are your current living expenses? $4000 per month.

These are your catalyst(s). 

Step 3 is the essential step in identifying your catalysts. The last answers here are the truth of what you really want and propel you forward, overcoming/bypassing the struggle.

Step 4: Shift your focus.

Now that we’ve identified your catalysts, let’s shift our focus and begin implementing. Under your catalysts, brainstorm all the ways you can do, have, or be your catalyst.

Example 1: Lose 10 lbs by summer 2015 > wear a bikini > feel sexy in my body

– put on lipstick

– send my hubby naughty texts

– wear lingerie under my everyday clothes

– buy flattering clothes I feel hot in, even if I haven’t reached my desired weight yet.

Example 2: Meditate 10 minutes or more, 4x per week > less stress, more patience > increase discipline, build perspective > improve communication in my marriage

– meditate 10 minutes a day

– practice the 5 second rule before spouting what I want to say

– scheduling quality time with my spouse

– fulfilling my spouse’s needs & practicing asking for what I need

Example 3: Invest $5000 or more in 2015. > $5000 + current investments compounding interest for financial security > build towards financial freedom in the future > freedom over my time > making $4000 per month of passive income or interest to live on > work less, travel more

– Brainstorming freelancing business ideas

– Set up automatic investing each month

– Schedule my first trip

– Reviewing my financial advisor and moving our money if needed to a fiduciary.

– Cut nonessentials to increase investments this year

Now that we’ve identified our catalysts, it’s time to shift our focus. Brainstorming methods of achieving your catalysts provides tangible action steps you know you can do.

What we really want are our catalysts, not necessarily our original goal. We want the tangible benefits associated with reaching the goal more than the goal itself. And we usually find ourselves happy, satisfied, and naturally achieving the original goal with ease when we focus on these avenues instead of insisting on one path.

For example, one of my recent goals was to save $10K by next May. Applying the above process, I realized I wanted to save $10K so I could take the summer off and still cover our Boston living expenses, investment goals, and fund some travels. Going deeper, what I really want is to spend the summer in Denver with my BFF while training at Awaken Gymnastics.

Shifting my focus and brainstorming alternative methods, I realized there are easier, less elusive ways to get to Denver. I could save half and get a summer gig while in Denver, for example. There are always restaurants and adventure tours needing summer help. Put this way, reaching my goal is more exciting, meaningful, and attainable than just saving $10K.

Feeling sexy is another example. When I began focusing on the things I can do that make me feel sexy, like regularly exercising, regular personal beauty care (getting my eyebrows threaded), eating well, and fixing my hair a few times a week, I could care less about my weight or size. I feel hot and confident and it shows.

To recap, using the Catalyst Technique is the easiest way to get to the heart of your goals and achieve them faster. It works because it shifts our focus towards what we really want instead of what we think we want. 

Next week, we’re breaking these catalysts down even further into to build momentum for your adventure-filled year. So do this work and then forget about it until Monday.

In the meantime, share one of your goals, your catalyst, and your brainstorming ideas in the comments section below.

Life tastes better with butter,