Breaking Through Your Lack of Motivation
Motivation is a tricky thing. It can be quite slippery, and at times allude us to the point at which we can’t see our way of the funk that defines a “complete lack of motivation.”
http://www.teamhoyt.com/history.shtml
The link above is a story full of win that got me thinking about my motivation, why I’m motivated to run, and why I wasn’t before.
I’ve noticed that there’s a common trait in self-motivation, and that is something being at stake. For instance, I can endlessly put off going to the grocery store unless I have NOTHING to eat at home (we’re talking not even peanut butter or crackers). So if eating is at stake, I’m forced to go buy food.
The same goes for exercise. I had no reason to exercise, nothing at stake as my metabolisim was fast enough that if I watched what I ate, I didn’t really gain weight. But I wanted to exercise. I enjoy it when I’m done, but I just couldn’t motivate myself to actually do it. But, if there was an event coming up, such as a beach date with a cute guy, I became motivated. Only, it was temporary.
The problem with this type of motivation is that you aren’t being held accountable for your execution of what you are motivated to do. (In broader terms, think of a big project at work for which you will take a lot of credit. You will be held accountable by your peers or supervisor, and it’s a project which you take a lot of pride in. The key is applying this to exercise. Find the bigger picture.
To do so, I made a commitment. A big one. It wasn’t even the part where I was signing up for a marathon and paying the money, it was a commitment to something more, a cause. By telling people I’m running to raise money to find a cure for cancer, and then accepting their donations, I have become accountable to them to keep training and excercising. I’m not just doing it for me, but I know that giving up is like giving up on everyone who has donated, but mostly on those that I’ve pledged to raise money on behalf of.
Team Hoyt is a great example of the ultimate commitment, the one a father has to his son.
So I challenge you, what can you find that will motivate you beyond belief? If you can think of something, share it with all of us and email me: michelle at nextnewnetworks dot com
