Getting Better with Time
Motivation means desire.
The science of motivation is the science of success. I am slowly becoming a better coach and business owner and in doing so, I find myself more interested in what motivates people. I used to be completely enthralled with exercise technique and programming but after 15 years as a coach, I know the selection of exercises and the programs that contain them are secondary to an athlete’s desire to perform them.
Here’s what we know about motivation:
- Success has to happen before you’ll become motivated
- Success has to KEEP happening.
- We don’t always recognize success when it happens. We’re pretty hard on ourselves.
Good / Better / Best Gyms
Good gyms provide access better gyms provide some guidance, and the best gyms provide success.
That means we acknowledge our PR board, track our progress in Trainerize, and take five minutes every week to reflect on the GOOD in our lives.
Being Thankful Requires Practice
The practice of thankfulness doesn’t come naturally to anyone. That’s why we call it a practice: it’s hard, we don’t feel like doing it, but then we feel better once we have.
“Bright Spots Friday” is going to be our practice of thankfulness. Every week, we’ll post our “Bright Spots”. Bright Spots are:
- things that went right
- things we’re celebrating
- and little ‘wins’ from the week.
Bright spots don’t have to be gym related. For example, a huge win for me is taking time on a Sunday afternoon to organize my week (appointments, tasks, personal stuff, etc.). I’m getting better at recognizing this win as it sets me up for a really productive week.
Again, this is practice. It will be hard to get started. The first time, you’ll be reluctant to post your Bright Spots. You’ll think “I don’t really know these people THAT well…they don’t want to hear about my life.” Or “I don’t want to share all my personal stuff”. This is normal, don’t get discouraged. Winning gets easier the more you do it, so does recognizing those wins!
Let’s do this!
See you in the gym!
James