The Answer to Motivation Is You

Ferrous_Female_Dog

The following quote is from this article:
http://greatist.com/fitness/intrinsic-motivation-achieving-goals

Self-Efficacy

A person with high self-efficacy believes in their ability to perform a task and achieve goals. Such a person might have thought patterns that look like this: “I’m sure of my ability to achieve the goals I set for myself;” “I believe that if I work hard, I’ll be successful;” and “I can move in another direction to achieve my goal, if an obstacle blocks my my path." These beliefs are the strongest and most consistent predictors of exercise behavior. A person won’t pick up a 35-pound dumbbell—or even a five-pound one—as long as they believe they can’t. In contrast, the greater a person’s self-efficacy, the more likely they are to stick with an exercise program and make it a habit for life.

Thoughts? Comments?

Extrinsic motivation is fine and dandy but it isn't as reliable.

yoovie

i live by this.

Ferrous_Female_Dog

Any other thoughts? Not a popular view, I suppose.

SuggaD

It's absolutely right. I'm a doer. I ignored my baby weight for years. But once I decided to lose the weight, I lost it all. I set goals, create plans, and get it done, making adjustments as necessary. Unfortunately, most people just aren't like us.

yoovie

Ferrous_Female_Dog wrote: »

Any other thoughts? Not a popular view, I suppose.

usually means it's correct.

jaebm

Makes perfect sense, here I am looking for motivation but I have to motivate myself. My only comment is when I was in college I remember taking classes where I didn't talk to anyone but in the classes that I talked to others and we shared/compared our exam scores, I always did better in those because they helped me to want to succeed and I certainly didn't want to be embarrassed by a bad exam score! I could have easily sucked at statistics but because I had a good group of ladies sitting at the same table as I and we compared our scores etc. I was able to rock the socks off of stats with that said I think outside influence can help but you have to want it as well and you have to be your main driving force!

yoovie

many many people are here looking for motivation when they could be working out or planning meals.

not you - necessarily - i just mean there's lots of people doing that. wasting time looking for the right quote.

TR0berts

Ferrous_Female_Dog wrote: »

Any other thoughts? Not a popular view, I suppose.

Nah - not controversial enough.

eta: nice username

kristen6350

Yep. This. The ONLY one that cares what you look like is you. The ONLY one that cares what you feel like is you. Having friends is fun and keeps you coming back to see their progress, but I know I'm the only one alive that will knock that extra piece of pizza out of my hand.

MostlyWater

Not everyone has, well, grit.

Think of the president of the USA and Olympic champions. Yes, they're talented, but their success is more than that. It's drive and grit. You don't get that from reading a self-help book or from your neighbor; it's got to be in you.

yoovie

you can build it though.

not everyone has grit - but everyone has the potential inside them.

OF COURSE im not talking about special exceptions.

yoovie

kristen6350 wrote: »

Yep. This. The ONLY one that cares what you look like is you. The ONLY one that cares what you feel like is you. Having friends is fun and keeps you coming back to see their progress, but I know I'm the only one alive that will knock that extra piece of pizza out of my hand.

nods.

we are all in this alone.

funnyhotgal

A very limited view; I think these forums r to share and help keep up spirits and motivation.

yoovie

funnyhotgal wrote: »

A very limited view; I think these forums r to share and help keep up spirits and motivation.

strong first post

that is all wonderful and true.

however... we do not all get on the scale together.

we do not share a treadmill with our support system.

we do not all tie my shoes.

we do not pick up the barbell with the hands of all our friends.

It all comes down to us.

It isnt a limited view - it's a freeing perspective that you have all the control you need, deep inside. You just gotta trust in yourself and believe in yourself.

anyone that says otherwise doesnt believe in the human spirit.

farfromthetree

yoovie wrote: »

funnyhotgal wrote: »

A very limited view; I think these forums r to share and help keep up spirits and motivation.

strong first post

that is all wonderful and true.

however... we do not all get on the scale together.

we do not share a treadmill with our support system.

we do not all tie my shoes.

we do not pick up the barbell with the hands of all our friends.

It all comes down to us.

It isnt a limited view - it's a freeing perspective that you have all the control you need, deep inside. You just gotta trust in yourself and believe in yourself.

anyone that says otherwise doesnt believe in the human spirit.

I have friends who encourage and "support" me on here...you know what? If I stopped doing everything tomorrow, would they care? I mean really care? No. It is up to me and me alone. Those who care enough to show a little tough love are the ones we should be listening to. They care enough to be honest, taking the time to help us open our eyes.If you are not even a little receptive to this, I am afraid you are doomed to fail.

yoovie

no one else is going to dedicate their life to changing yours for you

that's our job (thank goodness - could you imagine how invasive thatd be hahahaha)

farfromthetree

yoovie wrote: »

no one else is going to dedicate their life to changing yours for you

that's our job (thank goodness - could you imagine how invasive thatd be hahahaha)

I just used that last quote as my status on FB.(about believing in yourself) Everyone is going to be googling "Yoovie" lol

Ferrous_Female_Dog

jaebm wrote: »

Makes perfect sense, here I am looking for motivation but I have to motivate myself. My only comment is when I was in college I remember taking classes where I didn't talk to anyone but in the classes that I talked to others and we shared/compared our exam scores, I always did better in those because they helped me to want to succeed and I certainly didn't want to be embarrassed by a bad exam score! I could have easily sucked at statistics but because I had a good group of ladies sitting at the same table as I and we compared our scores etc. I was able to rock the socks off of stats with that said I think outside influence can help but you have to want it as well and you have to be your main driving force!

Absolutely. No one is saying it's one or the other. Sometimes hearing about something awesome my friend has done that I can't do yet gives me motivation to build the skill set to be able to do that one day. What gets me started can very well be extrinsic motivation. What keeps me going is what I already have inside me.

Ferrous_Female_Dog

Another good quote for those who aren't reading the article:

When it comes to health and wellness, internal motivation involves emphasizing current health and happiness instead of ideas about future health, fitness, and positive body image. In order to be sustained, exercise and healthy habits need to be relevant to a person’s life today, not “off in the distance” goals. Vague warnings about future health are less motivating than the tangible, post-workout feeling of “Ahhh, I’m so relaxed right now. I need to do this again!”

jgnatca

I have succeeded with the support of a lot of people, and I am grateful for that. Nevertheless, I'm the only one that dragged my butt out of bed this morning to run outdoors in -25C.

A psychological trait as beneficial as (or related to) self-motivation is resiliency. From the wiki entry:

"The primary factor in resilience is having positive relationships inside or outside one's family. It is the single most critical means of handling both ordinary and extraordinary levels of stress. These positive relationships include traits such as mutual, reciprocal support and caring. Such relationships aid in bolstering a person's resilience. Studies show that there are several other factors which develop and sustain a person's resilience:

1. The ability to make realistic plans and being capable of taking the steps necessary to follow through with them
2. A positive self-concept and confidence in one’s strengths and abilities
3. Communication and problem-solving skills
4. The ability to manage strong impulses and feelings

These factors are not necessarily inherited; they can be developed in any individual and they promote resiliency."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_resilience

As an aside, my daughter recently lost her lovely Afghan hound, sadly from cancer while still in his prime. What a character he was. She started him in Agility last year and when he was in the mood, he could perform perfectly. But once in a while he got it in his head he was doing his own thing. I watched him tear through the course taking on his favourite obstacles over again, oblivious to the calls from my daughter. The course instructor called our boy a "self-rewarding" dog.

I'd like to take a page from this dog's book once in a while. Tear around life's course and do some self-rewarding activity. Laugh with the tongue hanging out.