Last week I spoke of setbacks. We all might have a routine that becomes a sort of standard operating procedure when recovering from them, or maybe you like to seek out new methods and sources of stimulation, but there’s a good chance that no matter which approach you take it involves a varied combination of two key factors: motivation and discipline. I will discuss the latter with you at another time but, for now, I’d like to focus on the former.
Motivation comes in many forms, whether it’s a desire burning deep within you, encouragement from peers and loved ones, a picture of your ideal body hanging on the refrigerator door, the story of an underdog overcoming challenges and naysayers to achieve their dreams, or even frustration with the way your jeans are starting to fit. It’s what inspires us – it makes us *want* to change; to better ourselves – and the list of sources doesn’t end there.
Motivation alone isn’t enough, though; you have to be susceptible to positive thinking. As a single father, it’s easy to become burdened in an overwhelming sense of obligation and feel defeated. It’s exhausting, I know! And time becomes a rare and precious commodity… But if you want it, or even think you want it, then you have to open your mind to the realization, and accept, that you can have it. If you’re going to watch a motivating video and then, at the end, say “I can’t do that, I don’t have enough time” or “Easy for him to do, he has better genetics than me”, then you won’t. I didn’t say you *can’t*, I said you *won’t*. For one thing, it’s just an excuse. For another, if you give it a try anyway and go into it with this mindset then you become your own obstacle, allowing other elements to intervene, and when you fail because you didn’t want it enough, you fall on your excuse and say, “See? I told you I couldn’t”. You could, you just didn’t.
I’m not pointing fingers. I’ve been there myself. It’s how I got into this situation in the first place, but I won’t allow it to keep me there. We can’t afford to let the issues that present themselves and vie for our attention continue to cripple us and prevent us from reaching our goals. Is it easier for a 18 year old kid with no family obligations, living at home with no bills, lacking time constraints and the demands of a career? No. Is he afforded more of an opportunity to work towards accomplishing something? Yes, but he still has to want it enough to actually put the time in. If you and I want it as much as, or more than, Joe Graduate, then we’ll find a way to make it happen. And once you’ve convinced yourself that it’s possible, you’ll find the motivation.
Tell us what’s keeping you from getting started. If you’ve struggled with motivation before, share with our readers how you overcame it in a comment below.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” – Wayne Gretzky
The do-over...
Days after obtaining this blogging space, as I struggled with the decision of at which point in time to start, a series of events fell into place that led to an eight week layoff of my efforts. I fell into a slump. Now I could lay out a bunch of excuses about how things at work are extremely demanding right now, and so on, but that’s all they’d be: excuses.
26 pounds later (just 9 away from my all-time heaviest), and not only do I feel like garbage physically, but also emotionally. There’s been some self-flagellation over all of this and, it could be argued, justifiably so. One year ago I tried a bulking experiment that went awry, resulting in a 24 pound gain (at least, with that one, a large portion of that was lean mass and I got to see my lifts shoot through the roof), and the frustrations and struggles I faced in trying to cut back down were not soon forgotten. So, in knowing how much more difficult it was for me to cut the fat I gained in such a short period of time, I allowed myself to let go for 8 whole weeks. That’s twice, shame on me.
We’ve all faced setbacks in our lives – we might even find ourselves considering the situation that brings us to this blog in the first place a setback – and we all know how easy it is to become consumed by them, wondering “Why bother?” and falling into a state of self-pity. But we know that the prescribed remedy for this ailment, and it usually involves a bunch of cliché adages.
Whenever I find myself facing a plateau or needing to refocus, I usually scrap everything I’ve been doing to that point and recalculate my nutritional needs or redesign my workout schedule. Even if my macros come out to what they already were, I find that working the numbers cleanses my mental palate and draws me back in; and even a slight tweak or change to my workout regime and spark new interest and ramp up my motivation. I’ve done both today!
How do you overcome the obstacles and stumbling blocks that sometimes get in the way? Whether you were knocked down or tripped over your own feet, do you have a routine you like to perform when dusting yourself off? What are some of your favorite sources of motivation?
“Be grateful for setbacks. They are opportunities for even more improvements.” – Lorrin L. Lee
26 pounds later (just 9 away from my all-time heaviest), and not only do I feel like garbage physically, but also emotionally. There’s been some self-flagellation over all of this and, it could be argued, justifiably so. One year ago I tried a bulking experiment that went awry, resulting in a 24 pound gain (at least, with that one, a large portion of that was lean mass and I got to see my lifts shoot through the roof), and the frustrations and struggles I faced in trying to cut back down were not soon forgotten. So, in knowing how much more difficult it was for me to cut the fat I gained in such a short period of time, I allowed myself to let go for 8 whole weeks. That’s twice, shame on me.
We’ve all faced setbacks in our lives – we might even find ourselves considering the situation that brings us to this blog in the first place a setback – and we all know how easy it is to become consumed by them, wondering “Why bother?” and falling into a state of self-pity. But we know that the prescribed remedy for this ailment, and it usually involves a bunch of cliché adages.
Whenever I find myself facing a plateau or needing to refocus, I usually scrap everything I’ve been doing to that point and recalculate my nutritional needs or redesign my workout schedule. Even if my macros come out to what they already were, I find that working the numbers cleanses my mental palate and draws me back in; and even a slight tweak or change to my workout regime and spark new interest and ramp up my motivation. I’ve done both today!
How do you overcome the obstacles and stumbling blocks that sometimes get in the way? Whether you were knocked down or tripped over your own feet, do you have a routine you like to perform when dusting yourself off? What are some of your favorite sources of motivation?
“Be grateful for setbacks. They are opportunities for even more improvements.” – Lorrin L. Lee
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