THE MYTH OF MOTIVATION (AND WHAT YOU NEED INSTEAD)

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  • deemartin2
    deemartin2 Posts: 168 Member
    LOVE this!
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
    ayup. BIG fan of this. :heart:
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    I almost never respond or post- but nice job and true story. Thanks for your service!

    no problem, but i didn't serve.
  • RawCarrots
    RawCarrots Posts: 204 Member
    I know this is an old thread but it's very true! So bookmarking to read again later if I forget I've decided to get healthy and fit, and to lose that extra weight.
  • meadow_sage
    meadow_sage Posts: 308 Member
    This is a wonderful post, and absolutely true!

    <<<<<Holy crap, that is one hell of a burn, in your profile pic!!!!
  • meadow_sage
    meadow_sage Posts: 308 Member
    Make the decision everyday and everyday is a success. After a while, you look back and a year and a half have gone by and 60+ pounds are gone.... for good. When people ask me 'how did you lose all that weight?" I used to say "you're not going to like my answer (especially if the person asking clearly should lose lots of weight). And then I'd say: hard workouts, cardio and weight lifting, getting up early (4:45am) nearly everyday, eating less, logging food and exercise, every day." Now Ithink I can add to my reply: "by deciding everyday to be a success at moving more, eating less, eating better....."

    To the OP thanks for posting, worth a look-see by pretty much everybody - especially the whiners who moan after the first few days that they haven't lost any weight yet.

    I like how you tell them you are losing from working out and eating better and they give you this blank look or a look of disappoinment. I think I figured it out...they are the excuses people. If you said something like, I had surgery or I'm taking medication, then they can tell them selves that they rather be fat than take the risks involved with that. When you give them an answer that they can't rationalize their way out of then they become speechless. I hope every single person that is making excuses today, decides to make a change tomorrow.
  • leeroxboro
    leeroxboro Posts: 142 Member
    Bump because this is what I needed today, and may need to look back at it once in a while....my "excuse" for not exercising this morning was that "I was tired, and wanted to sleep in", then I stayed in bed, AWAKE, watching the clock, waiting for the last minute to get up....should have gotten up and started moving, even if it was just a brisk walk instead of the normal routine!!!
  • c_mihelich
    c_mihelich Posts: 15 Member
    Wow.... This needs to be printed on a poster!
  • xxx_Pink_Princess_xxx
    xxx_Pink_Princess_xxx Posts: 875 Member
    amazing x
  • RoBalance
    RoBalance Posts: 56 Member
    Thanks so much for sharing. What a good reminder. Not just for weight loss and being healthy but for many other things in life, too!
  • gilhawld
    gilhawld Posts: 3 Member
    This really hits home. For so long I 'wanted', really 'wanted' to lose the weight....I 'tried' a few times. But wanting and trying achieved nothing.

    It was only when I DECIDED that I wasn't going to feel like that any more that it all fell into place. Once I made that decision, it was actually easy. Easier than I had ever imagined! Making the decision was the key part, then I just did whatever had to be done.
  • Fit_Natasha
    Fit_Natasha Posts: 83 Member
    I am printing this and hanging on my fridge!
  • MzOnree
    MzOnree Posts: 124 Member
    Wow! Thank you for posting this. I'm going to copy it and save it for future reference. This does need a big BUMP to keep it rolling! :wink:
  • TheresaTester
    TheresaTester Posts: 115 Member
    "What is often called lack of motivation is actually lack of discipline and lack of habit."

    TRUTH!

    Yes.
  • trisH_7183
    trisH_7183 Posts: 1,486 Member
    Danny, this is what makes you awesome. Sooo true. Thank you.

    ETA - the thing I always say when someone says "That had to be such hard work!" or some such comment - "Not really. Once I decided to do it, the rest was easy."
  • trisH_7183
    trisH_7183 Posts: 1,486 Member
    Danny, this is what makes you awesome. Sooo true. Thank you.

    ETA - the thing I always say when someone says "That had to be such hard work!" or some such comment - "Not really. Once I decided to do it, the rest was easy."


    So true! human beings have a mind to use in whatever way we choose.If we choose not to lose the flab,then (in my case)

    I was choosing to keep the flab. Why? I have no clue,but thankfully,the choice was made.It's made again at every meal,every

    Day,it's choosing what I buy in the grocery,chosen when the food is cooked,how it's cooked,but most of all.....chosen every time

    I choose how much to eat. Once the decision was made to be mindful,the hardest part was done. Thanks for the posts reminding

    me to choose today & tomorrow.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    This is very true, but I don't think the word we use to describe it is really a big deal. I mean, I'm very motivated to hit my goal.
  • CkepiJinx
    CkepiJinx Posts: 613 Member
    Very true! Thank you OP for posting and thank you who ever resurfaced this!
  • fooninie
    fooninie Posts: 291 Member
    Both my parents were air force and I GET THIS!! I agree 100% I've been saying for years that motivation will not keep you on the right path, you need to CHOOSE to. Same with love (but that's a different rant).

    I wish more parents raised their kids with a realization such as this one...maybe there would not be as many self-entitled people out there expecting instead of making it happen...

    Thanks for posting OP!
  • SteveJWatson
    SteveJWatson Posts: 1,225 Member
    I have translated the OP for Brits:

    keep-calm-and-carry-on-sm-300x300.jpg


    Or: GET ON WITH IT.
  • sabified
    sabified Posts: 1,035 Member
    Great post... think I'm due for a name change!
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    Fabricated motivation is not sustainable and only provides short term gains. You can’t function in an Army basic training type of environment indefinitely. The harsh motivation from drill sergeants only serves to ingrain discipline as quickly and efficiently as possible. Once basic training is in the rearview mirror, that discipline remains.

    Fitness is about taking your motivation and using it to discover the discipline of healthy lifestyle habits like eating right and exercising. Once you get in that routine, the benefits of being healthy should be the only motivation necessary to continue!
  • Healthy67Chick
    Healthy67Chick Posts: 159 Member
    WOW! Loved the article! Thanks for posting it here on MFP.
  • jrmc83
    jrmc83 Posts: 77 Member
    Thank you for sharing this.
  • Lynzigzagzay
    Lynzigzagzay Posts: 75 Member
    Really good article/
  • balancenow
    balancenow Posts: 1
    Love this. So true.
  • jojo86xdd
    jojo86xdd Posts: 202 Member
    So damn true. this is getting reposted
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,491 Member
    Great post!
  • surfrgrl1
    surfrgrl1 Posts: 1,464 Member
    Fabulous, thank you.
  • ERMOT
    ERMOT Posts: 8 Member
    Discipline and habit. Perfectly put.

    If I was going to make my kids be disciplined and get in the habit of eating broccoli, then I had to be disciplined too. And I'm glad we are.

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