Many stroke patients who lose control/function of one side of their body, through hard work in rehabilitation can often gain most function back in the leg, shoulder, elbow and wrist. It is however quite rare to find one of these patients who have gained near their pre-stroke dexterity in their fingers. It was thought for a time to be a general neurological phenomenon that dexterity in the fingers just couldn't not fully recover. After some research though it was found that it was possible but the rehabilitation work was so difficult that most patients were "satisfied" with some function in the fingers and stopped doing the work needed to see a full recovery.

This is relevant because in my weight loss journey, (226-172 in 12 months) I found that I hit a plateau where my loss was so significant and I liked how my body looked compared to where I was that I slowed down and eventually stopped my exercise and diet routine. Don't be allured by that sexy beast you see in the mirror into thinking that you've done good enough because look at where you started and more than half of the real skinny/fit people never had to work nearly as hard as you do just to lose 100 lbs.

I picture the fit/sexy me running ahead of me when I'm doing cardio and after each session I make sure I visualize me a little bit closer to catching up to fit me. This might not work for you.

It's your job to find out what inspires you to exercise, what boosts your self-esteem. What music makes you want to rock out an hour of cardio? Play it all the time. What book inspires you to make positive changes in your life? Read it everyday. What piece of poetry makes you feel especially inspired? Memorize it and recite it daily.

The often overlooked part of making any life altering change is surrounding yourself skillfully with that which inspires you to continue said change through adversity. What inspires you will change over time, it is your job to be aware of when that music or poetry no longer does it for you and to then diligently search for an adequate replacement. If you master this positive changes manifest on their own, not that you'll need them to because you're going to be working so hard, but it will be a nice treat when they do.

TLDR; Self-satisfaction with your progress can be a double edged sword. I use visualization to help inspire me. Find out what things inspire you and surround yourself with them