People talk a lot about motivation.
Correction. Sorry. NOW people actually say motivation is bullshit, and what it really comes down to is discipline.
I’m sorta in between. I agree no amount of motivation will create lasting change without a steely spine of hard, near-unflappable discipline.
But like Springsteen said you can’t start a fire without a spark. And no fire begins without the spark of motivation.
However, it’s gotta be REAL motivation, as in real to you, not real to somebody else.
“I wanna be so fit I can scale the face of K2” won’t motivate you if you’re from the Prairies and hate the mountains and just wanna get big arms.
On the flip side, it’s also not helpful if what truly motivates you is considered bad or “toxic” to unknown yet hyper-judgemental Ph.D’s in mouthbreathing on social media.
For example: anger.
One thing I rarely talk about (because I would get skewered) is the power of seemingly unhealthy motivations like anger, or being utterly sick and tired of being sick and tired.
It might be taboo to say but awesome work has been achieved after some very dark “I am done with this” moments.
Like when you look in the mirror and are fed up with what you see.
Or an all time high on the scale.
Or some new bad habits you picked up.
Or your hemorrhaging bank statement.
Or just your station in life, and you finally say “ENOUGH” and go off and use it to fuel powerful, decisive life changing action.
Think of the dark side of the force. I mean the REALLY dark side, like Darth Vader force-choking his staff dark side.
So yeah, anger is a motivator.
Is it a good fit for everyone? NO.
Is it healthy? Debatable. (Losing a lot of fat is objectively healthy.)
Sustainable? Hell no.
Positive? BIG no.
Effective? For some people, it’s the only way that sticks.
Personally, I’ve thrived on it, though that’s something I’m not entirely proud of.
If you’ve seen Pumping Iron it’s sorta like Mike Katz’s transformation story, channelling bullied kid into obsessive bodybuilder (except he was way bigger than me and I tended to bully myself). How’s that for self-loathing?
But,my point is, if hating your current status is the only wind that truly fills your sails, then I say open them all and fly a Jolly Roger flag and see how far you can get.
As long as, when (or if) you get to your destination, you park the pirate ship in dry-dock and try other more relaxing vessels for navigating thru life.
Just not a cruise ship. No amount of motivation is worth being quarantined in a 6×6 room for weeks waiting to die from Covid, a dozen food-borne illnesses, or just boredom.
– Coach Bryan