Discover your Weight Loss Motivation – The 5 Whys

January 12, 2012 2:46 am / Posted in

I hear the same New Year’s resolutions over and over again, year after year, and sometimes I wonder if people are thinking about the real reasons why they are setting these goals. This is an exercise that you can apply to any goal or resolution to help you understand what it is that is really motivating you to want to make that change. Focusing on your true motivation will help you ensure that your daily actions match your values and help you towards your goal.

The 5 Whys is a questions-asking method used to explore the cause/effect relationships underlying a particular problem or underline something we really want. Basically, once you have asked yourself “Why?” five times, you will have gotten to the root of what the problem is, or what the real motivation is. In this example the exercise was used to determine why someone wants to lose weight.

  • Why do I want to lose weight?
    Because I want to fit into a size 6.
  • But why do I want to fit into a smaller size?
    Because I’ll look better in a smaller size.
  • But why do I want to look better?
    Because looking good makes me feel good about myself.
  • But why do I want to feel good about myself?
    Because when I feel good about myself, I’m happier and more confident.
  • But why do I want to happier and more confident.
    Because when I’m happier and more confident, I’m in control and better able to get what I want out of life.

You can uncover a lot of insight from just a few little questions. In this example, losing fat was really about being in control and getting what the client wants out of life. Fitting into the smaller size was not the true motivation; the true motivation was more closely aligned with the client’s values.

Category:

Posted by