I was in resting between sets last night when I noticed the time, 5:50pm and how noticed how dark it was outside. I thought to myself that this time last year I would’ve been in the car driving to the ‘Tan to meet up with the running group at 6:30pm. The next thought that hit me was, "How on earth did I do that twice a week when it was so dark and so cold?" People often comment that it must have taken a lot of motivation to train in those conditions, to which I replied well no, not really. You see, I had a goal I wanted to achieve – to run the fastest 10km my 40 year old body could. It was a challenge I’d set myself. So when it came to training there was nothing to think about, no motivation was required, I just did it.
2012 was my marathon goal year. What possesses someone to do that? I can’t answer that question, it was a thought that popped into my head way back in 2005 after I completed my first ½ marathon, that before I hit 40 I’d do a full marathon. 2012 was my last year to do that, so I did. I turned up to training twice a week, did the Sunday long run on my own and ate to recover and train harder each week. Sure a few sessions were harder to turn up to than others; freezing cold and pouring with rain but with the right gear it was bearable. There was very little self talk required to get into the running gear and drive to training, there was no “motivation” just a focused well set destination I wanted to get to. I had a dream……
If you are struggling to “motivate” yourself to get yourself started with exercise or even changing your nutritional habits then stop looking for motivation and starting think about WHY you are even considering it. The whole “get fit to be healthy”, “eat healthy food to reduce the risk of disease” reason for change , Big deal. Everyone knows this but why do some many people struggle to do it? Because deep down that isn’t a strong enough WHY.
Your WHY is what will get you out the door when it is dark and cold, your WHY is what will make you choose to whip up a home cooked meal instead of ordering pick up food. A bride who wants to look awesome in her wedding dress and photos has an incredibly strong WHY
A quote from Empire Strikes Back,
Luke: All right, I'll give it a try.
Yoda: No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.
[Using the Force, Yoda effortlessly frees the X-Wing from the bog]
Luke: I don't, I don't believe it.
Yoda: That is why you fail.
Stop trying and DO IT.
Believe that you can and you will, don’t believe and you won't.
Dare to have a dream and then get out there and get it done. No motivation required.
