Will it be the carrot or the stick? Does this apply to you when you try to lose weight?

The carrot: You might look to see what you have accomplished and use the resulting motivation to keep going. Examples: “So far I’ve lost 16 lbs. Great! I only have about 24 more to lose.” Or—“For the most part, I’ve stopped stuffing my feelings, I can already see how this will help me not stuff food.”

The stick: On the other hand, you could look at what you haven’t accomplished, and you’re lack of accomplishment then motivates you to achieve success. Examples: “I’ve been trying to diet day by day this past week. Next week my goal is to eat good diet food for the whole week.” Or—“My feelings have been all over the place for the past couple of weeks. I’ll have to get them under control before I can gain better control over eating.

Which is it for you? Is it the carrot or the stick that motivates you, or a combination of both?

by Maria's Last Diet