Olivier Leory Latest Blog Post

You’re waiting for something that is not going to happen. You are waiting to feel fearless before taking the plunge on your big goal. You are waiting for for a sign before you fully commit. You are waiting for self-doubt to evaporate before going all in. You are waiting for something X to happen before taking action on item Y. You are waiting for the negative and stressful parts of your life to go away first. You are waiting until you feel more motivated. You are waiting, waiting, waiting. The Fallacy of Motivation Don’t get me wrong… I am all for motivation. There are fewer better feelings than waking up and being truly pumped to get your butt down to the pool so that you can go head-to-head with whatever set coach has pulled from his treasure trove of nightmarish workouts. But how often do you feel that way? Sometimes? Occasionally? And so we fall for the myth of motivation hook, line and sinker, believing that we cannot feel stressed or resistant to the work we have to do. If we aren’t totally motivated we take it as a sign that maybe we aren’t that committed. Mabye we don’t want this goal that much. That maybe we aren’t as good as the swimmer in the next lane. And so what do we do? Wait some more. How to Be More Motivated, More Often Look, I am not saying that you can get by without motivation. Intrinsic motivation, after all, is what drives high level athletes. Between that and resilience those are the two main differences between champions and “almosts.” But you need to understand that you don’t always need motivation to start. And that it isn’t something that just happens to us on a whim. You do have control over how motivated you are on a day-to-day basis... 1. Get in the habit of starting.  The hardest part of doing anything is the agonizing mental back-and-forth we have in the lead-up to it.  We run through the gamut of excuses we can use, think of reasons that we can get by without that tough workout…  But once you start, that resistance melts away pretty quickly, doesn’t it? 2. Make your goals utterly yours.  Setting a goal to go to the Olympics is swell, but if its your dad’s goal, your coach’s goal, or your friend’s goal it won’t keep you motivated for very long.  When a goal is irrevocably yours you will go to the ends of the earth to make it happen. 3. Remember that you don’t always have to feel like it.  It’s okay to experience doubt, stress, frustration in the moments when your effort is needed most.  These are natural.  It’s what happens next that is all the difference. See you in the pool, Olivier