Staying Motivated
One of the hardest things to do as an athlete is to stay motivated on a daily and sometimes hourly basis. It can often be hard to keep your focus due to distractions of work or the sacrifices we all make in our lives to further our training and reach our goals.
There are always those days when you don’t feel like going to the gym, track, pool, arena or whatever facility your sport requires of you that day. There are always going to be the days when you are there and cannot seem to get your head into it, where you cheat your last few reps or you dont push yourself as hard as you know you should. It is at these times when you need to step back and take a serious look at what it is you are doing and why, To find out what what is fueling your competitive engine. Sometimes it is as simple as remembering coming up short at your last contest, Or remembering that feeling after a race when you thought… Did I go as hard as I possibly could have, Did I leave everything I had out there? This is the simplest form of motivation sometimes. Other times you might decide to look at some of the results of your fellow competitors and tell yourself that there is no way that person should have beaten you the way they did. To read published print media articles about your event and tell yourself that it will be your name in the headlines the next time. Perhaps it is finding some influential character in your sport and reading through some of their old quotes or articles they have produced.
All of these things are great ways to drive you for that one day or that one workout, and if you can push through those times everyday they will eventually add up and put you on the podium where everyone wants to be.
[Mike Sears is a member of the Halifax Firefighter Combat Challenge Team and has competed worldwide in firefighter competitions.]
