Motivating Factors: Keep Your Eyes on the Prize to Achieve Your Goals

There have been many instances in the last few days that have deemed it necessary for me to do a quick post on motivation. Everything from some of my athletes having a difficult time finding motivation to complete their workouts, to me trying to find motivation to complete mine. Some are unmotivated to clean the house and others are unmotivated to unpack (ahem, me again).

When it comes to fitness, being motivated is a key factor in any successful program. No one can do the work for you. If you want to lose 30 lbs, no amount of coaching or empty promises will allow you to lose 30 lbs except for putting in the work and doing it yourself. The best coach in the world can’t mold a winner without the potential champion having enough drive and motivation to keep up with the intensity of workouts required to achieve his/her dreams.

I’ve struggled with my own workouts this week. I’ve been chock full of excuses, too. They’ve ranged from waking up too late to finish the required distance to not knowing my routes as well as I need to. It’s all rubbish. I know in the back of my mind that my desire — my drive — isn’t there. But I’m here to say that’s changing. I have a long road of training ahead of me, and I plan on achieving my fall half marathon goals.

As a coach, I find motivation at the crux of my job. I constantly motivate and cheerlead for my athletes. But what happens when an athlete just doesn’t have the drive to succeed? What happens when they have the desire but no motivation? I don’t give up on them, that’s for sure. I was once there, too. I had every excuse in the book and I used them. But once I got on that bandwagon — once I started to lose weight and could run for more than 5 minutes at a time — I was hooked. I knew I was onto something, and my motivation blossomed.

And speaking to motivation in terms of everyday life? I’ve been exhausted and have had a tough time motivating myself to open more boxes and get my new home situated “just so.” A few days ago, my Little Bee said she wanted to go home. When we arrived in our driveway, she broke down in tears and said, “no, no! I want to go home!” She wanted to go back to our old home.

And then a couple days ago, Boo had the same breakdown. He said he wanted to go back to our old house. He missed his room. And he missed how everything was familiar, perfect.

Then something incredible happened. I, too, missed our old home. I wanted my familiar room and to know where all my things were. And that’s when and where my motivation arrived. At first I dismissed the sad feelings from my daughter. And then I decorated her room. When my son said it, too, I decided to decorate his room and unpack his boxes as well. When I felt it, I knew something had to be done. My motivation is back. I’m ready to unpack boxes and hang pictures. I’m ready to make our house into a home.

“What is the point of all this jibber jabber?” you must be thinking. The point is — motivation can come from anywhere. It can come from being said about moving to an unfamiliar place. It can come from being sick of being unhappy. It can come from the overwhelming desire to do something good for yourself after tending to everyone leaning on you for your support.

My message to those of you struggling with motivation: don’t dwell on it. Motivation will wax and wane. When it wanes, don’t bury it and make excuses. If you need a day off, take it. But don’t let that one day off derail your overall progress. Keep your eyes on the prize and you will achieve your overarching goal.

Talk to me: how do YOU adjust your training/goals/dreams when your motivation wanes?