Why do I do it?
I enjoy working on myself and being the best person I can be. My dilemma is that when I accomplish what I want to achieve, I always think about how I could have done better. Much better. An example of this is the Ironman I completed. I was happy I did it but I kept thinking about how slow I was. Yes, it was an accomplishment but I was aiming to win. Although it was my first race, I just thought about winning. I like to aim very high and although I don’t reach the peak, that’s always the goal. Failure helps me to grow. The mentality has not changed. I like to push myself to be better, to test my limits. Hint, there is no limit for me. This way of thinking has always pushed me, it’s one of my motivational tools to keep improving. There’s no such thing as perfection, just improvement.
Everything you start you will most likely suck at. It is up to you if you want to keep going to get better, to take on commitment. Many people don’t even start. Many give up since it’s ‘hard’. It’s the continuation, determination, discipline, and routinization that will allow you to break that barrier. Doing this will help you stay motivated because quitting then becomes much harder from all the effort you’ve put in. Here are 4 tools and/or things I do to motivate myself that help me to push my limits and always be hungry to get what I want.
1. You need to make goals
Goals are what you need in life. Without goals, what will you do? You want to be a bodybuilder? Great, what now? That goal is large, you need to make it into smaller goals before getting there. Maybe you need to register to a gym, maybe watch Youtube videos on learning compound lifts, maybe find the best workout plan suited to you, maybe fix your diet, pre-plan your meals, or hire a personal trainer. Those are all small goals that help you achieve your major goal. Sub goals keep you focused and help you get the results through small increments. What I said above is a bit overwhelming but remember, everyone started at that point and those who continued succeeded. It always seems tough at the start. Once you start, it becomes easier. Create goals but make it in steps (sub goals) to get there. Keep in mind, to be good at anything requires thousands of hours of your time.
2. Log/track your goals and accomplishments (diaries)
Your goals and accomplishments should be logged. This not only helps to reference how you accomplished the goal but it can give you a great feeling on how much you’ve grown. Creating small goals to achieve bigger goals helps me a lot (as mentioned earlier). I create yearly goals using FutureMe. I have used this site for years for my yearly goals. I write emails to myself on what I have accomplished and what I want to accomplish. I then follow up with it. This allows me to see what I have done and what I have not done. Looking back at what you accomplished helps to keep you on track and also makes you feel fantastic. Especially when looking back at what you accomplished and where you are in the future. Diaries and notepad apps also help. I can’t forget about blogging and vlogging.
3. Watching Motivational Anime (Specifically Dragon Ball Z)
This may be a controversial tool but it has helped me in my life and has made me who I am. Anime gets you motivated. Anime is animation originating from Japan. Watching shonen anime such as Dragon Ball Z has definitely influenced my life. Hell, I bet the majority of the men in the gym are fanatics. Watching specific episodes can make you want to go out and do more in your life (especially wreck havoc in the gym). Although the characters are fictional, their goals are about getting stronger, to be the best, and never stop training. Normally in these types of anime, there are characters who are seen as weak or are weak. They then begin to train and become strong. They then get stronger and then get beaten by powerful enemies. They fail but get back up and try again. Most shonen anime are like this and the idea of training hard to continue improving no matter what is what makes me watch them as an adult. To me, these shows are powerful because they help me strive to keep going.
4. Know your weakness and work on it (stolen from Arnold)
“Back in the early 1960s, when Arnold Schwarzenegger began his competitive bodybuilding career, his calves were virtually nonexistent. At the time, calf development was not top priority in the sport, especially in Europe. Consequently, he, like most of his fellow Austrian bodybuilders, neglected to train them.” I remember when I heard that Arnold’s calves were lacking. He ended up working them out to to the extreme making them into godly calves. He would also hide them (I’ll try and find the source for that). That made me motivate myself. If I looked bad from my excess fat, it was because I’m not working out hard enough and not eating right. I would show my weakness by my tight fitting clothes. If I looked good in clothes (or without), I was doing well. If I looked bad in tight clothing, I was not being what I wanted to be and the embarrassing fits would push me to look good again. Here is some more things I followed from Arnold. I learned a lot from a man I never met. Hell, for my birthday I even bought his bodybuild building encyclopedia and would bring it to the gym while I lifted and followed his overtraining routine.
JUST START IT!
Start working on yourself! Do not be afraid to start what you want to do. At the end of the day, you are your own person and you should do what you think you is right. If you want to do something, don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t ask others if it’s ok, they are not you. If you want to do it, go and do it. No one is stopping you but yourself. Overthinking can lead you to not starting what you want to do. It took me years to overcome this and I still fight this. If you can conquer this, you can conquer anything. If you have wanted to do something, I hope this helps you start something.
As always, comment and tell me your goals!