……win
Motivation comes in many forms.
I’ll never forget watching Rocky II as a teenager.
The famous scene where Adrian wakes up from her coma and she and Rocky are meeting their son for the first time together. Rocky starts to say that if Adrian no longer wants him to box, he is willing to give it up. Adrian cuts him off and says:
“There is one thing I want you to do for me…win…”
GONG!
The iconic Rocky montage bell rings.
“WHAT ARE WE WAITIN’ FOR!” yells Mick.
This scene gives me goose bumps just thinking about it, (and I also just looked it up on youtube.com/Rocky Scene, so good).
Every time I watch this movie, I work out shortly after. It motivates me to become a world class boxer and, in that moment, I am as tough and strong as any man. That eventually wears off. The same can be said for music. There are some songs that drive me to push myself that day, but once that 2-3 min is over, I move on.
In our world of instant gratification and short attention spans, it’s easy to get consumed by one thing and quickly move on to the next. Getting up immediately and acting on motivation has led to my best results, but sometimes I need a stronger foundation to stay consistent. For me, these three pillars of motivation generate the long-term drive needed to achieve my goals:
3 Pillars of Motivation
Pillar 1: Reading
Reading consistently sparks so many new thoughts and interests in my daily activities. I might not even expect to get something out of a text and will read just one line that sparks an idea. This pillar of motivation is key as it forces me to sit with a concept for more than a few seconds and absorb the information.
Conversely, if I take too long of a break from reading, I notice that I am far less motivated to better myself, and my thoughts become stagnant.
I read whatever I can get my hands on. Just staying in the practice of reading blogs, magazines, books etc. keeps my mind open to new ideas or approaches to life.
Check out some of my favorite books here.
Also, here are some of my favorite blogs to read:
Pillar 2: Support
Getting feedback is always important. The tricky part is sifting through what is useful information vs noise from opinions. A single comment from someone I respect can alter my approach to a project or my drive to continue.
I keep this in mind when both giving and receiving advice.
Constructive criticism can be difficult for the ego to process but is necessary for growth. If I only receive positive feedback, I will never see where my weaknesses are and will not improve upon them. However, only listening to the naysayers will eventually crush any hope of success and I will most likely give up before I see something through.
If given some type of advice or criticism, I take some time for it to sink in. Acting emotionally usually leads to a counterproductive result. Taking a moment to consider all sides to a situation allows me to filter out what will work for me and apply the necessary adjustments.
A few ideas to help you build a support system:
Find a Friend or Mentor –
For each of your interests, find a person you can bounce ideas off of, or learn from. or better yet…
Start a Group
Start a monthly get together and meet coffee or base the meeting around whatever the common interest may be.
Join a Social Media Group
Being able to just listen as a fly on the wall can be helpful, but constructive engagement will really help your understanding of the topic.
Pillar 3: Results
Probably the most difficult to achieve, but most impactful motivators are results. Physical growth is a slow process. But once the scale starts to display a different number, or the mirror is showing an improved image, the desire to keep working follows.
Same is true for any skill that is being developed. A “win”, no matter how small, can prove the effectiveness of the process and lead to continued effort.
Track Your Daily Progress
Keeping tabs on yourself can not only show results, but it will also keep you honest about your setbacks.
Take Pictures
I find that a visual library of my growth gives me the strongest results.
Set Daily Goals
Achievable but productive goals are important. Make sure your to do list has a few things that will not only get checked off each day, but are also important steps in your process.
Applying the Motivation
It’s important to capitalize on my motivators when they appear. Otherwise they are just spikes of adrenalin that fade quickly. I try to write down as many as I can, and reference them regularly.
These pillars of motivation are mixed into my daily routine and have helped me tremendously in my growth.
With that, I will go jump rope and shadow box with hopes of becoming the next heavyweight champion of the world!
