Raising Funds and Motivation

As we enter the middle of March, that "go-get-'em" attitude you had at the beginning of the year might be dying down. That New Years resolution might have gone by the wayside. Especially after the winter we have had in Florida, it's been harder than ever to stay motivated.

A few reminders about a successful New Years resolution - and any goal in general. If you want to see results, you have to be specific in stating what your goal is. So, if in January you had a resolution to "exercise more"...how do you measure that? Did you exercise more than your neighbor? More than you did last week or last year? If you can't see that you met your goal, you are setting yourself up for failure and a loss of motivation. A specific goal would state, "I want to exercise four times a week for sixty minutes a day". Then, you can mark off on a calendar WHEN you exercised and for HOW LONG. You can note when you ATTAINED your goal, and if you did not attain it - how you can modify it.

Speaking of goals, a great way to stay motivated and set specific goals is to participate in a race of some sort. Living in Florida, we have a multitude of races to choose from in the Spring, Summer and Fall. There are running and walking events, triathlons, swims and even some all-terrain adventure races. You DO NOT have to be a seasoned athlete to participate in these events, in fact many of them cater to newbies. On top of being able to set and accomplish goals for yourself, some of these events serve a much nobler purpose. To raise money for wonderful charities. In these tough economic times, many charities are not raising the same funds as they have in years past.

By committing yourself to participating in a fundraising race, you are doing something moms are oh-so-familiar with - you are multi-tasking. You are committing to take time for YOU. By taking time for yourself to prepare for an upcoming race, you will be helping yourself not only physically but mentally as well. You are also committing to contributing to a cause that may be very close to your heart, or close to a family member or friend. When you hear of a friend competing in a fundraising event or race - please take it to heart and give back a little something to honor her ultimate decision to "mama multi-task". Here is info about a friend competing in an upcoming event, please check out her webpage and consider helping her cause.


Team in Training webpage for Christie O'Sullivan, a former StrollerFit mom who lives, works and blogs in Palm Harbor

Facebook page for Christie's fundraising "stunt". She'll be running all day on a treadmill at Countryside Mall to raise money for her event!