What Motivates You?
By Niki
I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately. It is a really important one when you think about it, and one which I have only recently come to appreciate again. You see, for the past several weeks I have been trying to get my workout and diet “game” back on and struggling tremendously. I had always been an emotional eater; that is before I started embracing a healthier lifestyle and taking eating clean more seriously, but I thought I had overcome this weakness. Ha! Well a little havoc let loose it my life and no strict competition goals until June and cookies began to look more appealing…all the time!!
I could not figure out what was wrong with me. Normally I am a very strong willed person, and if I set my mind to accomplish something I will work as hard as I can to see it come to fruition. If I fail, I will regroup and try even harder. In trying to figure out the mystery of where my “game” had gone I realized that I needed to think about my motivation. I needed to critically think about why I was doing this and why I wanted this. I became cognizant that answering this question is crucial to maintaining my discipline and as a natural consequence, whether my body will undergo sufficient transformation to get up on stage…in a skimpy bikini no less.
Knowing that you have to be on stage in a bikini can really motivate!
You see, initially, when I began training for a figure competition I did not have to analyze or think about my motivation because my incentive was just that – to prove to myself that I could transform my body and get up on stage. Once I accomplished this I wanted to make specific improvements to my physique and push myself harder…and I did. But this time around my goals were not as concrete…June is a long way away…
What I have realized in agonizing over my recent falter in self-discipline is that it is essential that you revisit the essence of your motivation somewhat frequently because over time, particularly as you accomplish specific goals, it changes. So, remember to think critically about what is driving you and where you want to go. Set specific and short-term goals for yourself in anticipation of long-term ones. If you need a break, take one. But revisiting you motivation keeps it renewed, fresh and powerful. This is my experience at least. Knowing your motive and end goal helps keep you on the path you want to me on. I am happy I went on this little soul searching expedition and hope it helps someone else who may be struggling to get back on track 100 per cent.