I am a natural talent for motivating myself. The downside of this is I am very critical and have high expectations for myself, I am very bad to myself if I am not disciplined

So it motivates me to visualize, pinterest, daydreaming, pro and contra lists. I have a journal for goals and another (on paper) for tracking food and workouts. I always make it pretty. It motivates me. I use to do lists for small steps.
I always set the bar high when dreaming. If I am bad in something I set the goal right at the top, even if it seems impossible. For example I had acne for ca. 5 years and it was very bad with scars. Now I get compliments for my skin and nobody knows I had it. I read EVERYTHING. DID EVERYTHING. On the way to it I stumbled. But I got to the end.
I study law in a foreign country. At first I had accent. I didnt thought it is possible to speak accent free. But I researched it and did what it takes step by step. It is not just livin there, it requires work. So I am now 90-95% accent free after 5.5 years. This acheavements motivate me and I expect after some more years to be 100% accent free.

I had a problem with planning finances. I really such with this, because I always buy facial serums or creams or books and have too many of them. So I set a goal to set aside money. It was more difficult for me than curing acne honestly. But I am on the way to it. It is better.


SO:
1.) I set the goal right at the top. For ex. I want the best grades even if it seems impossible, I want to look like the hottest model in town even I dont have the genetic, but I just want to make the best of me, I want to be the most financial wise person I know. Etc

Small dreams dont get me the feeling.

2.) I read everything about the goal and obsess myself with it. This gives me the feeling that I control it. And I actually control it when I know everything about it.

3.) I use pics from pinterest or some kind of visuals. I imagine my life being in the best form ever. What would change? I have pro and contra lists. I am always brutally honest to myself.

4.) I motivate myself to the point of euphoria. To the point I feel this goal is feeding me with lust for life. I need this at th start, because the motivation gets less to the end or when you face problems.

5.) when I face a problem, I turn to this stock on motivation from the beginning. I do it over and over and over again.

And when you keep doing this so intense, you get a lot of compliments on the way to it. Compliments or the fact you motivate others can be also motivating.

When you start seing progress and keep being obsessed, you feel like the goal becomes like your second nature. Like your passion. You get hungry for more acheavements and the pain of the gain doesnt bother you any more like in the beginning.

Oh you welcome : ) I am happy if I could help. : )

Pro and contra list is basically something I always do before I take the decision to work towards a habit. I basically take a draft notebook and write something like this:

Goal 1: Get to 53-55 kg
Goal 2: Not only lose weight, but form glutes that you cant pass by on the street, be in the best shape of your life
Price goal 1: 50 000 Calories (example) burned fat
price goal 2: a) research time for the best approach of the desired form
b) building the habit of doing the required exercise on a regular basis
c) really sticking to the routine no matter what

Goal 1 :

Pros of being 53-55 kg:
Warning: be brutally honest. No lovely talking. Get deep like this: (this are some personal suggestions coming from my own motivation, its different for everybody)

1) gain self esteem because you made something really difficult
2) wear all the clothes in all the shapes you want and look great
3) thin sexy face
4) more attention from men, which you can very positively use in your relationship
Just because you are in a relationship or a marriage doesnt mean there is no relationship market any more. It still exists and my theory is, you are still there. Your rating is just ''not single''. If you are in the best shape of your life and feel the inspiration from it, your rating on the ''market'' will be very high. So your man will be even if he loves you for who you are which is of course the base of everything, glad that you didnt stop working on yourself after you got together. His desire will return in waves, just with the same power as in the beginning.
I told you I am too honest.... just my opinion

5) More time for other goals. Once you make the fit habits second nature, you can invest less power for maintaining them and invest the power in something new thats difficult.
6) Being a fit mom. Giving great example, looking a lot younger.
7) No binges any more, being light and not heavy and unmotivated.
8) Being healthy weight obviously.
etcetera

Contra
1) dealing with hunger
2) dealing with the fact you have to take small steps to get to the goal, because habits are biult slowly
3) no permissions to overeat actually. no emotional comfort eating any more
etcetera

Can contras be neutralized?
1) dealing with hunger: yes: losing slowly for example. price: time
3) no emotional eating: learning to take control of this bad habit conciously and look for real other decisions.

Than I move to goal 2

Than I writhe the ressources I have for each goal like money or even motivation. Is weight loss counteracted with other goals like the law end exam? If yes and if the exam is more important I adjust the weight loss goals. I dont cut off the goal, just take the decision on the safe side like: I will just eat 200 cals less a day. I will only do a 30 min workout.

Than I plan the risks that could take me off the road and write them down.
Than I plan the preparation time for each ''difficult habits''. Like... if it is risky to pass a workout, I prepare my clothes for each session in the gym on sunday separately.

And the pro and contra written list helps me as a base of this process to turn this into a project with a foundation.

I have a box of large marbles. I tell myself when I am too heavy that I have lost X many of my marbles. For every pound I lose toward my goal, I put one marble from the box (total I want to lose) into a large wine goblet so I can see how far I have come. I guess I am very visual. I like to see that I have gotten some of my marbles back but I don't really like to see how many are left in the box.