Motivation for Your Goal

What motivates you to train? You know on the days when it's cold and maybe even rainy outside? Of course it's still dark outside. Your bed could not be more comfortable.

Yet for some strange reason you defy what is easy. You pull back the covers to be shocked with the cold of early morning. You throw one leg over the side of the bed and stub your pinkie toe on the edge of the bed frame. Then you shock yourself further with the brightness of the bathroom lights which are one or two degrees brighter than looking directly at the sun.

You feel dizzy, Your head may be pounding. The last thing you are thinking about is putting food in your mouth and venturing out into the cold.

Yet you do so anyways.

Have you been there? I'll bet you have. Anyone who has trained long enough has. Every athlete has. Anyone who is serious about their goals has.

What is is that motivates these people? Well for most people it's the avoidance of pain. Sometimes this might be an actual physical pain. Pain from an accident, a disease or some other cause. And these people know how bad the pain can get. And how this pain can affect their lives. And prevent them from doing things they enjoy. And that missing out on these things will bring them sadness.

[caption id="attachment_4676" align="aligncenter" width="300"] According to Aristotle, the masses are wise.

  But pain doesn't always have to be physical, Some people are alone, depressed and not feeling the best about themselves. They would like to have more confidence, to have a better physique and to be noticed by someone else.

And so for them the option of living in pain or getting out of a warm, cozy bed in the early morning is not even an issue. Living with pain is a worse option than staying in a comfortable bed so they venture out each time for training.

The other type of person that chooses to train consistently is the  athlete, or someone that is athlete-minded. They are chasing a reward or some type of positive pay-off. These people are usually in the minority. Not only in the sense that most people don't earn a living by playing a sport but also in the sense that their motivation is for something positive rather than the avoidance of pain.

And so the question becomes what about you? Do you train to avoid or prevent pain? Or are you chasing glory and athletic greatness?

Once you can answer the question to this there will never again have to ask yourself why you put in the effort. It won't be a challenge to get out of bed. This is not to say it becomes easy all of sudden. But the pull to get started and move forward will be greater than the temptation to stay comfortable and the same.

For me it has to do my family. Recently I had one of those mornings when it was raining. The air was cool but my bed was warm. I could very easily have rolled over to the cool side of my pillow and hit the snooze button for an hour or so. But just at that moment I could picture our two little girls smiling at me and that's all the motivation I needed to get going. I want to be able to provide for them. I want to have strength and energy to play with them. And I want to set an example of health and positive living that they will learn from.

For you it may be something different. But whatever your reason and purpose make sure to have this always in your field of view. Pictures work great and so look to put a picture of your motivation on the fridge, on the visor in your car, at your work station and as the screen savers on any of your devices.

Take some time and figure out why it is you train. Knowing this not only makes attaining your goals easier but helps you stay the course when you could have quit on yourself.

Chris