THE MYTH OF MOTIVATION (AND WHAT YOU NEED INSTEAD)

meggiesroad · January 2018

That’s very well put! Discipline and habits that is exactly what I need. Everything else is excuses. Just do it. Thanks for the kick in the butt

mamabear1114 · January 2018

So true! This probably sounds bizarre but I started thinking of this journey like a marriage. Motivation is a feeling, and feelings are fleeting. You don’t invest 100% of your marriage on how you “feel” because some days that person will make you mad. Some days you will feel disenchanted or bored. Some days it’s hard to hang in there and you would rather just not deal with it, but you do because you made a *commitment* (or a decision) and that’s why you follow through. That’s the distinction for me. My dad was a US Marine, and the poster child for physical fitness, and he always told me something that is difficult is almost always something worth doing.

ksw98 · February 2018

I need to find those posts about discipline and habit that you talk about! Where can I find them?

MTmimi · February 2018

Good post. Puts it all nicely in perspective.

Emeraldreign · February 2018

Capt_Apollo wrote: »

This is from fitness blogger Vic Margay.

http://www.vicmagary.com/blog/fitness-motivation/

“Motivated, motivated, hell yeah I’m motivated. Ooo Ah, I wanna kill somebody. Killlllll!!!”

As part of the Army’s brainwashing process (better known as Basic Training), mantras like the one above shouted in unison by a platoon of young men with shaved heads often made Basic Training feel like some sort of twisted psycho cheerleading camp instead of preparation to become Infantry soldiers.

But we were motivated.

Or were we? If you include fear of punishment and peer pressure as motivation, then the environment at Ft. Benning was certainly motivating.

But were we self-motivated? No, most of us standing in heel-to-toe lines and referring to our new Army buddies by last name only at Ft. Benning, Georgia in the autumn of 1998 were not self- motivated. And it is acquiring and maintaining this self-motivation that I am often asked about in the realm of diet and fitness. But here’s the thing…

Lack of motivation to follow a healthy diet and commit to consistent exercise is a myth.

You are going to die. And neglecting your health and fitness is more likely to hasten your departure. Furthermore, the days you do have will be spent with less energy and more pain if you choose to eat crap and be sedentary. The motivation, the “why”, to exercise and eat nutritious foods in appropriate quantity is present and strong. The bigger mystery is why we choose to ignore the need for proper diet and exercise in the face of obvious requirement.

We do not need motivation. We need decision.

We need unwavering non-negotiable decision. And yes, I know that the pic above was not taken during Hurricane Sandy (although I thought it was when I posted it to my Facebook page). But it was taken during a torrential down pour at some point in recent history. It absolutely captures the fortitude and decision of those soldiers to stand by their post no matter what hardship may be encountered.

If those soldiers can decide to endure the elements, then we can decide to put down the damned pizza and beer.

Or forgo the free bagels at the office. Or wake up a half hour early to exercise. Or keep a food journal everyday. Or what ever else we know we need to do but keep failing to commit to because it is “hard”.

Enduring chemotherapy is hard.

Hitting a fast ball in the major leagues in hard.

Negotiating nuclear disarmament from a hostile nation is hard.

Saying goodbye to a loved one in the hospital or the veterinarian’s office for the last time is hard.

But putting down the cookies and picking up the spinach? That’s only as hard as the story we tell ourselves.

What is often called lack of motivation is actually lack of discipline and lack of habit. I’ve posted about discipline and habit before – those entries lack the sexy headlines such as “1 weird trick to lose belly fat” and often do not get more than the cursory glance. And that’s unfortunate because it is discipline and habit that hold the keys to not only losing weight or getting strong, but to anything that we want in life.

You already know what to do to lose weight and get in shape. The smaller details will vary but the big picture is always to eat real food in appropriate quantity and move in a manner that is continually challenging. The problem is not lack of knowledge or lack of motivation. The problem is lack of decision.

Decide. Now.

Share your thoughts on motivation, decision, and the mental/emotional hurdles we face when it comes to diet, fitness, and weight loss in the comments below.

Stay strong

The truth of a matter is lovely.

L1zardQueen · March 2018

studyhawk · March 2018

Thanks....I needed that

Mfsdiet · April 2018

Just read the attached quote by fitness blogger Vic Margay. Maybe I read it at the right time or maybe I've never read something so real. All I know is it helped start my day!

hapamama23 · April 2018

@ bl3ss3dmfp

MyEvolvingJourney · April 2018

This is so good!

jeannine71 · June 2018

I needed to hear this!!! Thank you

diannethegeek · June 2018

diannethegeek · July 2018

diannethegeek wrote: »

A lot of people struggling this week. Another bump for the January crowd. Hang in there, guys!

HeyJudii · July 2018

I read this as a pin. Now every time I feel my "motivation" is waning, I tell myself to decide what I want to do. The decision is up to me. Even if I grumble, I know what I decide.

achievers · August 2018

Thank you for telling it like it is. Only people who respect us as capable human beings who can handle the truth, give it to us. Thanks for the respect.