Forget Motivating Your Kids

 Creating habits is far more important than motivation. I’ll take it a step further; your feelings do not matter! That’s right, feelings are like busses, a new one comes every 15 minutes. As an employee would you answer your employer with “No, I don’t feel like it.” As an employer would you accept that response? As a parent would you allow your children to go without brushing their teeth or bathing simply because they didn’t feel like it? No good parent would.
Our lives are comprised of decisions. We cannot be lead by both integrity and feelings simultaneously all the time. Integrity is often doing the right thing, even if you don’t feel like it. Just this week alone, I haven’t felt like cooking, taking out the trash, doing laundry, helping with homework, working or waking up at 4 a.m. But, if these feeling ruled me, my family would miss meals, there would be trash on my floors, incomplete homework, no clothes to wear and no Ignition Fitness.
The best part about motivation is that it gives a little steam to get started. Getting started is paramount to forming a habit. Well known motivational speaker and author Jim Rohn states, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going”. Most athletes love the game most do not love all the grueling practices. You have to practice to perform. These are the lessons to be learned. Not “the heart wants what the heart wants”. Your brain is smarter than your heart. A very successful and wealthy man once told me that the key to success is delayed gratification. In other words, prioritize what you ought to do over what you want to do and you will be more successful.
The point is, get your kids in the right habits. Prioritize meals for nutrition ahead of pleasure not vice versa. Start them exercising in ways that are fun, to help the habit stick. There will be days your children don’t want to do the right things. That’s when you need someone outside of the family circle reinforcing your beliefs.
At Ignition Fitness, we push both adults and children using high fives, “atta boys” and “atta girls” to get their best. We don’t expect on having all our youth members for life. They will most likely leave to for schooling, adventuring, relationship, etc. We build habits through a positive environment so that there is an association between doing right and feeling right. Our objective is to create healthy habits with your family that will last them a lifetime wherever they are.
To introduce your family to a gym and team that treats you with respect while motivating you to do and be your best, contact Jim Johnson with Ignition Fitness at 661-714-8149. You can also go to www.getignitionfitness.com or email Jim at jimjohnsonfitness@gmail.com.