Motivation

Most of my life I have been motivated. Motivated by my jerseys, motivated by praise, motivated by popularity, and motivated by my upbringing. I was motivated by these things because of my own selfishness. I was motivated by these things because I wanted to be congratulated. I was motivated by these things because I was upset. I was upset that I didn’t get as much playing time as I wanted. I was upset that I didn’t get the praise that I thought I deserved. I was upset that I wasn’t included in everything that my friends were doing. I was upset that I was broke.

I am in my mid 20’s. As I’ve grown older my motivation has changed. My motivation has changed because of my perception. My motivation has changed because of my mindset. My motivation has changed because of my adversity. My motivation has changed because of my ownership. I’ve realized that I’m not motivated by looking a certain way. I’ve realized that I’m not motivated by how I was raised. I’ve realized that I’m not motivated by someone’s praise. I’ve realized that I’m not motivated by what I can buy.

I’m motivated by my process. I’m motivated by my growth. I’m motivated by my ambition. I’m so obsessed, and motivated by these things that they keep me up at night. I’m so obsessed, and motivated by these things that they are all I think about. I’m so obsessed, and motivated by these things that they make me wake up every morning ready to work, ready to hustle, ready to prosper, and ready to provide value. Every day I have to look at myself in the mirror. Every day I have to face the person looking back at me. Every day I have to respond to the voice in my head. The toughest opponent you will ever have to workout against, socialize with, and communicate with is yourself. Every day I have to look at myself in the mirror and answer to the person looking back at me. Every day I have to respond to my actions, and my decisions. My decision to slow down when the workout is getting hard. My decision to slow down when I’ve grown my gym every month for the last 5 months. My decision to slow down when working makes me happy.

We don’t need a new Lululemon outfit. We don’t need new equipment. We don’t need to go to the Crossfit games. We don’t need to do something extra ordinary. We need to show up. We need to have a positive attitude. We need to figure out internally what motivates us. Not the car, not the shoes, not the outfits…the growth, the character, the perseverance. There will always be new cars. There will always be new shoes. There will always be new clothing. There won’t always be another workout. There won’t always be another opportunity. There won’t always be another second chance. There won’t always be another life. There is no pill, there is no shake, there are no shoes that will make you better…it’s you, your mindset, and your execution.

Motivation might not get you to where you want to go. Motivation might not make you as fit as you want to be. Motivation might not take you very far. But, it will force you to decide how you live the night before. It will force you to decide if you are committed. It will force you to decide how much you are willing to sacrifice to make your ambition a reality…and that is a lesson worth learning. Later becomes never, do it now.