It’s Saturday morning. I turn over to check the time on my phone.
The light from the window almost blinds me. I guess I forgot to set my alarm. It’s 8am. I go through my morning routine, then sit down to write this post.
Nothing comes out… 12 hours later, and I managed to write a whopping 12 words.
Why? Instead of putting my butt in the chair and grinding out the writing, I cleaned my room, organized my closet and finished a handful of other chores. Productive, right?
WRONG!!!
The truth is that I’m not motivated to write a post on motivation! The irony is not lost on me. I sit down to think why this is is happening and realize it’s been sort-of a trend the past couple of weeks.
Are You Living or Merely Existing?
I’m at a place in my life where I feel comfortable. I make just enough money to scratch out a living in one of the most expensive cities in the world. I pay my bills and have enough food to hit my macros.
But I am NOT happy. I am coasting through life just like I have time and time again in the past.
I know I am meant for more than this meager existence. This is not why I am here.
So what’s going on? Did I become soft? Is this to be my legacy? To coast through life, affecting no one. To never fulfill my true potential. To exist in a state of self-imposed purgatory, destined to never be happy.
But enough is enough! I refuse to accept this path I have led myself down. I am not some pebble in the pond, making small ripples no one notices.
I am the boulder. I will make a giant splash in the river of life.
How The Fitness Superstars Stay Motivated
I’m fortunate to know some amazing people in the fitness industry. These guys will light a fire under me when I need it, and I desperately need it NOW.
I reached out to them and asked how they stay motivated when the whole world is against them. How do they keep their eyes on the prize when the grind gets tough in the gym, at work and in other areas of their lives.
Here is what they had to say:
Tanner Baze
Texan and coach who loves talking about getting jacked and crushing life. Author of TannerBaze.com.
The biggest thing for myself, and my clients, when it comes to staying motivated is all about piling up little wins. Sometimes the big picture can be terrifying. But shifting that focus to a small win I want to make happen that day can be huge.
And the smaller the better. It could be something as simple as me getting one set in that day. But I’ve gotten that win, and that’s motivating because I want to build on that and get a win streak going.
Joey Percia
A true master and student of the fitness game. Founder of JoeyPercia.com.
When it comes down to it my most important ‘secret’ is clarity. Having crystal clear vision of why I am doing something gives me the ability to say no to things that move me further from my goal and yes to things that move me closer to it.
Without that vision, the path isn’t so clear. It’s muggy, ugly, dark and will pull me into every direction imaginable. It’s easy to stay screw it when I wake up in the morning feeling like shit and motivation is nowhere to be found. ‘Life’ happens to everyone, but clarity makes things a hell of a lot easier and brighter.
Mike Vacanti
Former CEO of Gary Vee’s body and founder of On The Regimen.
Surround yourself with positive, happy, hard-working people and everything will fall into place. I promise.
Bob Thompson
Fitness coach, owner of a private gym chain and founder of Bob Thompson Training.
Staying motivated through training can be tough. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been working out for three months, three years, or thirteen years, your desire to workout, eat correctly, and just do what it takes to accomplish your goals will not always be there. But, this is only natural. Happens to all of us.
The most important thing I’ve found, both for myself and the thousands of people who go through my gyms, is to concentrate on one thing: WHY. Why do you want to get healthier? Why do you want to improve body composition?
What goes beyond the physical appearance for many can be the deepest and strongest motivator when life throws shit bags in our face and the last thing we want to do is workout or make that healthy meal. This will keep you going through the down periods.
Ben Johnson
Author of BENTRAINED, who is truly passionate about helping people reach their fitness goals.
When fitness is nothing more than a chore, motivation gets suffocated. Keep motivation—and results—high by doing things you actually enjoy. This is different for everyone. Love deadlifts? Cool. Do those. Love running? Go running. Swimming your thing? That works too.
In fact, everything can work. The trick is finding what works best for you. Over the long-run, the things you enjoy will inevitably be the things that keep you motivated and get you the best results.
Eric Bach
Personal trainer, former collegiate strength coach, writer and founder of Bach Performance.
Set a deadline. How far away is the event you want to look your best? If there’s no event, create one and stick to that time frame. Having a goal that is locked into a time frame forces you to take immediate action.
Then, when times get rough and you want to ditch your egg white frittata for chicken and waffles you’ll remind yourself there are only two more weeks. You’ve got this. Deadlines breed action. Set deadlines, take action, and get results.
Eric and Ryan Johnson
Brothers, lifting bros and co-founders of Sons Of Strength.
Motivation is always an interesting topic. Some individuals just seem like they were born with an inherent motivation deep inside of them, while others constantly struggle. For not only us, but our clients too, we have found that the real secret in staying motivated is using momentum.
Newton’s First Law of Motion states an object in motion stays in motion. You are that object. Momentum creates success, and success creates momentum. It’s a true never-ending circle. Regardless of what your goals are, fat loss or muscle building, seeing results are absolutely vital to continuing on your journey.
Momentum creates those results, and then those results keep you going. Get it? Momentum takes a ‘diet’ and transforms it into a lifestyle. Momentum makes the gym a part of your daily habit and not just a chore. Some individuals have different timeframes for momentum to kick in. For some it takes a few days or a week, others it may take a month or even two.
But in the initial stages of your journey, it is imperative to not lose momentum. Force yourself to get in your training sessions; do whatever it takes. Learn to make the sacrifice. Force yourself to stick to your diet, even if it means avoiding certain social settings. Once the momentum kicks in, your fitness journey will be so much easier to crush.
Jordan Syatt
5x world record holder and author of SyattFitness.com, who knows a thing or two about staying motivated.
Motivation is never going to be constant. It will always ebb and flow. Sometimes higher than ever and other times nonexistent. The key isn’t to fight it or ‘try’ to motivate yourself. The key is to understand that it’s OK to go through periods of more and less motivation. It’s normal.
And when the times come where it just ins’t there… accept it. Go with it. Do what you need to do to maintain. And then when it comes back hit it with everything you’ve got.
Progress will never be linear, and neither will your motivation. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll make consisten progress for the rest of your life.
John Romaniello
The Bro King himself and founder of the renowned Roman Fitness Systems.
For me, the secret has always been getting incredibly specific and having a deadline. I can’t say, ‘I want to lose fat.’ I need to say, ‘I want to lose 8 pounds and get to 6% body fat by October 1st.’
In order to enforce the deadline, I’ll book a photoshoot or something like that, which creates consequences for not following through.
How Will YOU Be Remembered?
Understanding the ebb and flow of motivation is the key to living life to the fullest. Without this, you are not in control of your actions.
Find what makes you happy, what drives you, what makes you truly excited to be on Earth for the flash in time that we are here. Cultivate and use that passion to keep grinding.
Just when you think you can’t take another step, when you are drawn to the safe or mediocre, that’s when you NEED to take action. Find what motivates you and push.
