“How do I find my motivation?” It’s a question many of us should seriously ask ourselves…and an answer we must figure out if we’re ever going to make any progress toward achieving our fitness, health, or any other goal.
If you think about it, we were all born motivated with the will to live and to win.
Let’s start at the beginning…the VERY beginning.
We all started the same way… as sperm, racing millions of other sperm to the “finish line”. If you’re here, you won that race.
We all came into this world essentially the same way after spending months inside the womb. We struggled and cried as we took our first few breaths, but we were motivated to breathe, so we did.
We all began to observe the world around us… we saw our parents, our siblings. We saw them walk and move and touch and grab and hold things. We became motivated to walk and move and touch and grab and hold things.
Some of us crawled. Some of us rolled. Some of us scooted on our bums. Eventually, our legs got strong enough to start walking. One step at first…then we built on that step and took another. Before long, we were running. And jumping.
We all fell. A lot. Some of us cried. Some of us just sat startled. All of us got bumps and bruises. But all of us got back up. Sometimes, when it hurt really bad, a parent or caregiver was there to comfort us.
Eventually, we tackled a new challenge…the stairs. Some of us were able to pick it up quickly. Others struggled a bit and needed to hold someone’s hand. But over time, we figured it out. We got it done.
After each of these “milestones”, many of us were celebrated… we were hugged, kissed, and praise rained down on us from our parents and loved ones.
It felt good, sure, but the praise wasn’t necessary. We would have done it anyway. Those of us that didn’t have the circumstances of love and praise figured it out after all.
We all wanted to move, wanted to crawl, to walk, run, climb. We needed to. We were all motivated by this want and need and no matter how many times we stumbled or fell, no matter how many bumps or bruises we got, we saw it through to the end.
Somewhere along the way, between then and now… many of us lost that feeling of motivation. That feeling of wanting and needing to do something.
I’m not talking about the superficial wants and needs that modern life has conditioned us to.
I’m talking about the primal wants and needs that are required for survival.
The motivation to achieve. To accomplish. To win.
That feeling got lost. Pushed to the wayside. Forgotten.
Self-doubt, insecurity, negativity, discouragement, comparing ourselves to others and less productive feelings took its place.
There are a million reasons why, but there’s no point in dwelling on them.
So back to the original question… “How do I find my motivation?”
The answer is: you’ve had it inside of you all along. It’s always been inside of you. You just have to strip away all of the self-doubt, negativity, and insecurity that has been built up through the years to let it out and allow it to rule your life again.
Remember, you were born to win. You’re here now because you won the very first race you were in. You beat millions of others to claim that spot.
So whatever it is you’re trying to do, whether it’s fitness related or not, start at the beginning. Approach it knowing that you’re going to win. Prepare yourself in advance knowing that there will be bumps and bruises. There will be falls, some more painful than others.
Just get back up. Keep going. The earliest version of you did, regardless of your surroundings or circumstances.
Get help if you need it. That’s encouraged and recommended. There are coaches/advisors/consultants for everything in life, and if you can, utilize them. But understand that ultimately, it’s up to you to see your goal through to its desired result.
Remember, your greatest opponent is yourself. No one else stands in the way of you accomplishing your goals. Only you.
So get out of your own way, get help if you need it, stop complaining, stop listening to the naysayers, get to work and do whatever it is that you want or need to do. Get it done.
Until tomorrow…
Always Activate. Get Going.
