It's an Island

You’ve probably heard how when traveling to a romantic getaway if you didn’t bring the romance you ain’t going to find it there. If you didn’t bring it, don’t count on it in other words.

What’s your motivation

The same can be said for motivation. In this case motivation to physically workout. People will ask me what music I like to listen to while working out, truthfully I don’t listen to music. There might be some playing in the background, but it literally is white noise. I like music and from lots of different genre’s, well not entirely true there is some horrendous sounds I sometimes hear I wish my ear protection was more handy, but I don’t use it for motivation. The point I’m making is people will use different simulators to help motivate them. If the motivation doesn’t reside within you when it’s game time you will come up short.

Fake it until you quit

As a former BUD’S instructor I got to see all different types of motivation, but the one most common was false bravado. When you are lying naked in the cold surf hoovering near hypothermia it tests everyone’s motivation. If you walked into my compound because you wanted be cool you were the first one to ring the bell when times got tough. If you walked onto the grinder, but had doubts I would find you and press harder. If you were on no sleep at zero dark thirty getting ready for yet another practical still in the same wet clothes you knew I was lurking in the background. I was looking for those whose motivation was based on materialistic versus intrinsic goals. They would lack the motivation to win when it counted.

Medieval times

Stepping into a gym is close to stepping into a medieval dungeon equipped with all sorts of torture devices. The difference is you are volunteering for said torture and will administer it yourself. The beautiful thing about my job is I get to travel and meet tons of people. I also get to visit various gyms across the country, albeit the majority of them being Crossfit gyms and get to see a diverse crowd. If you take your health seriously you will have spent hours upon hours working and then days afterwards reminded of your effort as you try to navigate through the simplest of tasks like walking down stairs. Why do you keep going back and why do some stop coming?

The loneliness number is one

I firmly believe we all have doubts, at some point in our daily lives we doubt ourselves. The difference is those who succeed are the ones who confront their doubts to learn why they are there and to realize they are fear based. What is the fear? Whatever it is you better figure it out because if you cannot then you will find yourself coming up short when you need it most. For the last fifteen weeks I have been on my own strength and conditioning program as I prepare for the Crossfit Open. There were several times when I was the only person in the gym and the workout would test me. There was no one there to work with, to help motivate, to struggle together through the arduous work. It is all on me.

Failure is always lurking

There will come a time when you must stare back into the darkness not with false bravado, but with iron will and determination. Failure is always an option, you have to know yourself and your weakness because I promise you they are there. If you can stay focused on your goal, the objective for your actions and keep them at the forefront of your mind then when you are on that precipice remind yourself why you are there and step forward.

Nothing and I mean nothing in this world is free. If you want it, you have to be willing to fight for it, day in and day out. The real question is not whether you will fight, but whether you will have the tenacity to keep fighting.

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." Vince Lombardi World Champion Football Coach