I am sure you have heard the saying, ‘you cannot pour from an empty cup.’ This is why you need to learn to take care of yourself. Keeping yourself motivated is an inside job. You might do an excellent job at creating the right environment and getting the requisite resources to succeed, but if you are not taking care of yourself, you will not be able to stay motivated for very long. It is hard to keep pushing yourself to do more when your body is already falling apart under the pressure. 

Achieving success at the expense of your health is not a very wise idea. It is equally unwise to neglect your family and friends in the process. While it is true that sacrifices will need to be made, your health and relationships should not be one of them. In short, it will be much easier to motivate a healthy mind and body. 

Pay careful attention to these 5 areas that are often neglected in the pursuit of success: 

Nutrition 

How, when and what we eat, has a huge bearing on how well our bodies will perform under pressure. It is easy to begin to neglect your diet when you are focusing all your time, energy and resources on becoming successful. Purchasing cheap junk food might be convenient now, but you are not looking ahead to the disaster coming your way. A large percentage of the illnesses we face are in fact nutritional disorders that could have been prevented if we paid more attention to our diets. 

Nutritious food helps our bodies to grow, gives us energy and helps our bodies to repair themselves. In order for our bodies to functional optimally and not burn out, we will need to consume the recommended amount of each nutrient. But there is no need to become jittery about your diet and make any rash decisions. Here are a few suggestions to make eating well a lot easier. 

• Avoid foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar 

• Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and avoid overly processed foods 

• Read food labels before you consume the item 

• Include food from each food group in each of your meals 

• Drink more water and less carbonated beverages 

• Don’t skip meals 

• Replace your snacks with healthy options like fresh fruits and nuts 

• Never try to replace meals with dietary supplements 

Rest 

The average human being needs about 7 – 9 hours of rest each day. Getting sufficient sleep is one of the most essential aspects of finding the right work / life balance. Unfortunately, with the demands of earning a living, caring for your family and pushing yourself to meet your goals, sacrificing sleep might seem like the only logical solution to getting everything done. In fact, some people even reason that sleepless nights are synonymous with success. 

Once again, sacrifices will need to be made to reach your goals, but sleep should not be one of them. Not getting enough sleep will mean that your body will not get enough time to repair and charge itself up. We are basically like dead batteries when we do not get enough sleep. This means that our minds will not be able to work optimally if we are sleep deprived. A lack of sleep has even been linked to depression. How can you motivate a mind that drained? Get enough rest and your mind will be ready to conceive your success. 

Exercise 

There are very few people in this world that enjoy exercise. Thankfully, that number is steadily increasing as more and more people are beginning to realize the benefits of doing so. Constantly feeling fatigued and achy is a sign that you may need to get more exercise. One of the main reasons why people dread exercise is they fear it might be too hard. They assume that they have to start with the difficult things and it will just gradually get worse. 

That is really not how it works, nor is it what is recommended. If you are new to working out, you will need to start small at first and gradually work your way up so to speak.You may even hurt yourself by pushing to do too much, too soon. It is also best to vary your workout. Monotony will only make this task a lot harder than it has to be. Find what works for you and engage your mind by mixing up your routine. You would be surprised how much good just exercising for a few minutes each day will do. 

In fact, here are a few benefits of getting sufficient exercise: 

• Regular exercise helps to strengthen your bones 

• People who exercise often sleep better at nights 

• The condition of your skin will improve as you sweat and excrete waste from your pores 

• You will be better able to manage your weight 

• Exercise also reduces the risk of suffering from certain ailments like diabetes and heart disease 

• You often feel better after you exercise because working out releases the hormones that will improve your mood 

• Regular exercise can reduce stress
  
  

Family 

Your family is your strength. The stronger the relationships in your family unit, the happier you will be. When you lovingly make time for your family despite your endeavors to be great, they will in turn lovingly support your hopes and dreams. You cannot surround yourself with the right people if you keep pushing away the only group of people who are determined to watch you succeed. Making time for the ones you love should always be a priority. This is especially so if children are involved. A child will not understand that you are busy now because you are trying to build a better future for them. 

They only think about the here and now. And the fact that right now you are not here for them can have serious implications on the kind of person they will become. Money cannot buy you happiness and all the successful accolades in the world will not make your children love you anymore. Motivation can soon turn into selfishness if you do not take the time to care for the ones who are entitled to your time. Plus, when you have the loving support of your family, you will have the kind of support you need to push yourself to achieving your goals. 

Recreation

“People who cannot find time for recreation are obliged sooner or later to find time for illness.”- John Wanamaker Believe it or not, recreation plays a very important role in your success. While it is true that goofing off when you should be working on achieving your goals is a bad idea, recreation can be quite beneficial. Taking the time to have a laugh, smell a rose or even let your hair down may be just what you need to keep motivated. 

A life without recreation will not be very enjoyable. And a miserable, depressed mind is one that cannot focus on achieving anything. If you push yourself too hard and do not take some time to enjoy life you will burn out quite easily. Take some time to enjoy the fruits of your labor with the ones you love. You will be pleasantly surprised to see how these simple ways to practice better self-care can make a huge difference in your life. 

How happy will you be when you achieve your goals when you have lost your health and loved ones in the progress? Many of the greatest minds have made that mistake and have publicly declared how much they regret that choice. Being motivated to achieve your goals should not come at such a high personal cost to you. How could you ever enjoy the fruits of your labour under those conditions? Remember, personal success is not just about achieving your goals, it also involves being happy with the result as well.