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Getting Started: The Hurdles to Clear

As a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine an issue that many of my clients often run into is having a tough time just starting the process of change. I’m going to make a set of installments to help you overcome hurdles and as often as possible provide practical steps to help you reach your goals.

Often there is a set of goals involved before people feel ready to undertake a certain activity.

Patients often say, “I would really like to start working out, but I think I should change my diet and quit smoking before I can do that,” or, “I know what I should be doing, but I just don’t feel motivated. Just when I get started something else comes along and I totally forget about it.”

There can be any number of hurdles, perceived or otherwise, that keep us from beginning the path we want to take. Usually there is some sort of preparation phase and getting the details in order, and then somewhere in that process we get caught up and the intended actions and results never happen.

So off I went to investigate further what can possibly be holding me and my clients back from making the necessary changes to lead the healthy lives.

Carnegie Mellon University provides different reasons why students lack motivation, I’ve adapted the list to apply for regular people. They are:

1. People see little value for where their efforts are applied.
2. People do not believe their efforts will improve their performance.
3. People are demotivated by the structure they work within or the allocation of rewards.
4. People do not perceive the general climate as supportive towards their goals.
5. People have other priorities that compete for their time and attention.
6. Individuals may suffer from physical, mental, or other personal problems that affect motivation.

The above is a comprehensive list of hurdles of why people have a difficult time getting motivated. Sometimes you only need to be able to clearly identify what is holding you back and then you find yourself more than capable of moving forward. What was once vague and foggy becomes clear and open and from there you can more easily move forward.

Do you have any tips for clearing hurdles? We’d love to hear from you. Please free to post your advice below.

Source: cmu.edu/teaching/solveproblem/strat-lackmotivation/

Nick Arestopoulos Acupuncture Oak ParkAbout the Author
Nick Arestopoulos is an acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist at Palmgren Acupuncture. He’s also a black belt in karate and loves encouraging young adults to grow and improve in the karate classes he teaches. You can find Nick on LinkedIn.

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