Unpacking Motivation

This article was prompted by a recent podcast that I listened to, and the thoughts that it spurred. A large factor in what guides us through life are internal interests and external pressures. These internal and external factors can convolute our perception of what we really do and don’t desire, and ultimately what’s best for our personal growth. In addition, this bustling world encourages us to tackle everything at once making it difficult to filter between what may be a stretch goal in the short-term, and what we need to have more patience towards. Whether we decide to make short or long-term resolutions in sport and life we need to be honest with ourselves. The process to reach an intended outcome must be sustainable. This podcast has sparked some questions and self-reflection in me that may help guide you in the process of choosing the next outcome-based goal or habit-forming resolution. 

Does this truly excite me?

Long before I started writing about strategies to become more motivated I wanted to go on exciting adventures. At the time I simply wanted to become ‘fit’ and I enjoyed running. Plus, my extreme nature gravitates towards traveling ultra-distances which is probably why I signed up for my first ultramarathon in 2016. This was a challenging and truly exciting endeavor for me at the time.

Sometimes it can be more difficult to figure out if something you want is internally or externally motivated. When we allow ourselves space to simply ask how much we want something it can make it clearer to us where this lies on the continuum between desiring it for ourselves or for someone else. This question is crucial in raising our self-awareness and becoming accepting of whether we really want to start a new pursuit.

How much does this benefit my life?

In the past, I’ve gone through periods of shifting my diet in different ways such as eating more leafy greens, drinking more herbal tea, or consuming less of oily foods. I’m successful at some and not at others but when it comes to changes that have stood the test of time I ask myself, “how much does this benefit my life?” 

Sometimes the process to see a long-term goal through can be less enticing, or forming new habits and setting resolutions can become monotonous. However, reminding ourselves why we started (for ourselves or for others), and the resulting benefit from changing or reaching a goal, can help us persevere. This is a simple act of choosing to remind ourselves but inadvertently it’s a powerful tool for living in the present and seeing through challenges that will invariably arise.

How long has this been on my bucket list?

A lot of endurance athletes start out in one sport at an early age and eventually want to dabble in new sports or multiple sports such as running, cycling, and swimming in the form of triathlon. As for myself, completing a triathlon was the beginning of experimenting and searching for my favorite endurance sport as an adult but before I started training for my first triathlon I knew I probably wouldn’t be sticking around in the world of triathlon for long.

It’s ok for all of us to make short term goals. As humans, we like what’s absolute because it helps us keep ourselves accountable but when something is a bit of a ‘stretch goal’ it’s important to be authentic and true to ourselves. Understand that all is not lost once it’s complete, or even if you don’t complete it. Perhaps it’s meant to be a medium or long-term goal depending where you’re starting from. Always maintain perspective. 

Is this low hanging fruit?

When I started road cycling buying my first bike, joining group rides where I worked, and doing the iconic local 150km ride to Mt. Baker, Washington was enough of a stretch goal for me at the time. As I became more experienced in the first couple of years, cycling became a growing interest and joining community clubs and tapping into my co-worker’s plethora of knowledge and experience all made setting short, medium, and long-term goals in cycling seem more attainable. Some goals are still coming to fruition. 

A key difference between short and long-term goals is often being aware of our starting point and observing how much willpower we need to get started. Often, we can’t anticipate how things morph, but as something becomes easier and easier to achieve that’s the beginning of turning seemingly small acts into new habits. Those new habits then slowly turn into bigger goals or resolutions. 

Once you identify something that internally excites you, adds great value to your life, or have been a part of a bucket list, there’s no telling how far you can go. A pitfall many fall into is doubting ourselves before we even get started. If you’re prone to getting overwhelmed, like me, try to start small by still allowing ourselves to have a vision but also rewarding ourselves with the small wins throughout our journey.