Motivation
The Oxford dictionary defines motivation as;
“A reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way”.
Motivation; it comes in many forms. It can be visual, emotional or physical and is subjective to an individual. What works for one person, won’t scratch the surface for another. There are occasion specific types of motivation such as: pre workout, intra workout and post workout….. and then there are much wider and more generic forms of motivation, such as; in life, in business, in society or in relationships.
Regardless of your goal, whether that be to lose 5% body fat or to grow your business to £1 million yearly turnover, it is those individuals that are motivated on a daily basis that succeed!
How to find what motivates you
Motivation starts from the moment your feet touch the floor upon waking each day. I’m a firm believer that your first thought can shape how your day is going to turn out. Waking up and thinking “Oh why am I up this early, I can’t stand the thought of commuting to my job that I hate”, is going to make a significant difference to if you were to think “I’m thankful for another day and today I’m going to achieve one thing that will make me 1% better than I was yesterday”.
So get up each day with a purpose, think something positive and watch the difference it makes!
From this point, it’s then up to you to find your subjective motivation. Different circumstances throughout the day will require different sources that inspire you. A song to motivate you for a max effort lift will be significantly different to a song that would inspire you in the build up to a big business pitch. One would be to raise adrenaline, one would be to calm nerves, but both can increase motivation. The quickest and easiest way to access these sources of motivation, or maybe to even test out and find what motivates you is the internet, and more specifically Youtube. It’s my go to whenever I’m searching for an occasion specific type of inspiration and you will have access to anything and everything that has ever been recorded, so you’re bound to find something specific to you!
What motivates me
Before training– I enjoy training, so 90% of the time I don’t need anything extra to give me motivation. But for those days when I’m feeling slow and sluggish I will jump straight on YouTube and search for; “workout motivation”, “heavy lifting”, “world record squat/deadlift/bench press”, “greatest sporting achievements”….. They all have the same theme = people succeeding at something physical. Think about what the occasion is that you are searching for inspiration for and then search accordingly!
Whilst training– If it’s for a personal best attempt or something nearing that, ever since I started training at the age of seventeen it’s always been one song: Limp Bizkit- Rolling. One; it’s heavy metal and two; it’s euphoric, so it gets me pumped! Again this is where you would find YOUR song! For lifting heavy this can also be of benefit (using the same song over and over again) as it gets you in the same routine for each and every time you go for a big lift…. Again that extra 1% can make a difference.
If it’s for your every day kind of session, my playlist is all over the place, ranging from grime and rap to heavy metal and rock, with the occasional nostalgic world cup song added in for good measure. But it always has to be loud and upbeat!
In life- I find motivation from setting and accomplishing goals. I find motivation from the thought of people saying, “wow, he’s done well for himself”, or “wow, that’s some achievement”. The thought of being highly regarded and respected from those close to me and my peers is what drives me on to better myself each and every day.
In relationships- Quite simply I just want to feel trusted by and be able to trust those who I am close to and confide in. For me this comes through honesty. Over time this has been the cause of the breakdown in numerous relationships (friends/girlfriend/business etc.), but to be honest I find myself better for it! If you can’t be honest and truthful in your relationship, then how much of a relationship do you really have with that person? I have a much closer group of friends and my relationships with those I am close to is that much better for it!
In business– Motivation for my business is similar to the motivation I find for my life. It’s to achieve a pre planned set of objectives to improve my business that extra 1% each and every day.
If I find myself feeling lethargic with things still to do, I will head back to YouTube and watch a ten minute video to give me a kick up the backside. There are a few people that provide me with inspiration that I suggest you check out the next time you’re not feeling 100%: Eric Thomas, Gary Vaynerchuk, Tony Robbins, Steve Cook (fitness related) or Tim Ferris. Another channel with great content which brings a collection of inspirational and successful people right to your device is Evan Carmichael.
Some people find themselves motivated by wealth and the things wealth can bring- nice watches, expensive clothes, fast cars, big houses etc. Whereas there will be others that are solely motivated to provide for their family and to be able to spend as much time with their loved ones as possible, with no interest in the ‘finer things’ that life can bring. The most important thing is to realise that everyone is different! Just because someone else desperately wants something, it doesn’t mean you have to want that thing just to ‘fit in’. Find your own targets and goals and work towards achieving them!
Personally I find motivation from being successful and being seen as making a success of my business/life. I get motivated by seeing results that my clients have achieved, as it lets me know my product is of a high standard. Everyone can find motivation when they’re feeling good; it’s the days where you don’t feel like going, or you don’t feel 100% at it and focused that really push you forward and towards your goals! It just depends how bad you want it!!!!!
There’s no wrong way to be motivated, don’t feel guilty, harness it and use it in the right way to motivate yourself to be 1% better every day. Imagine what you could achieve in a year if you were just 1% better each and every day! That can be 1% better physically, 1% better socially, 1% better emotionally, 1% mentally. If you struggle to find what really motivates you or provides you with inspiration, give a few of the routes listed a go, then develop your own path!
Yours in health
Ben.