What's your Motivation/Inspiration??

[VolFan21]

My advance apologies if there's a thread like this already on the site, I searched but couldnt find one...so I decided to ask my fellow Rebels this: what are some of the things you tell yourself to keep yourself on track. You know when you're nearing that last set of reps, or that last 1/2 mile run, you're feeling it-ok your REALLY feeling it and everything in you just wants to quit-what do you tell yourself?

A few weeks ago I dedicated a portion of my bedroom wall to some inspirational quotes,sayings and pics to help me stay motivated.

Here's some of my favorites:

"Unless you puke, faint or die-KEEP MOVING!"

"Pain is weakness leaving the body"--my Marine brother tells me this :]

"You want this? Push yourself! No one is going to do it for you..."

"It's actually pretty simple, either you do it or you don't....no excuses."

"Think a 20 minute workout won't get you results? A 0 minute workout sure as hell won't."

[Loren Wade]

My motivation comes from music.

My inspiration comes from here.

[Orpheus]

My motivation comes from my children.

My inspiration comes from select individuals around me (currently working on my Jedi council

[161803398874989]

"Suffer the pain of discipline, or suffer the pain of regret."

[Guest Snake McClain]

My motivation is I am getting in shape to go train as a Professional Wrestler (think WWE) and the fact that as a younger guy I was always skinny and picked up. didn't start getting in shape until after high school. Instead of being someone that was always looking up to others I want to look up to myself. I have a lot of good inside of me (i've just been realizing this after some really horrible things in my life) and I'm ready to use those things.

My motivation comes from being on this site and seeing what everyone else has been able to achieve. It's pretty fantastic.

[Loren Wade]

My motivation comes from my children.

My inspiration comes from select individuals around me (currently working on my Jedi council

We can easily arrange a Jedi council. As you've probably guessed... There's a few of us Jedi's around.

[Orpheus]

Hard to find topics on cutting fat and staying lean when you are lean already with just a small little gut lol, but gonna look into being a jedi while I'm down with this cold sinse I have no energy to do anything right now......

[anxiety]

Lot's of things inspire/motivate me. When I first started it was other people's doubts, and then I started seeing a change in my body, and that motivated me to keep going. I hit a rough patch and found my lifting hero who inspired me to keep going and train even harder. My friends from back home who are trying to be bodybuilders inspire and help me all the time. Also the goal to become famous one day motivates me a lot, I just want to be a huge inspiration to people! Now that I think about it, a ton of things inspire/motivate me to workout, I could keep going!!

[Thrymstan]

It's nice to read things like this every once in a while:

Impossible to question Jagr's work ethic

And then there is this classic for motivation:

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=woOu_4l3lio

[dcfindlay]

If we're thinking of inspiration as the top-level big picture desire/outcome that drives you, and motivation as what gets/keeps you going moment to moment, I'd say my inspiration is the search for energy. I've been through periods where it seemed like I was always tired, no matter how much sleep I got. I'd go to bed tired and wake up tired, go to work tired and come home tired ... and I hated it. Therefore my ultimate goal is not a specific physique or to be able to run a certain distance, but to have LOTS of energy (sustainably -- no party drugs). In the same way that energy is the currency of our society (if it stops, nearly all of what we do stops), energy is the currency of my life even more than time is. That's what inspires me to exercise and eat well.

Motivation: I read an article a while back that changed the way I thought about this: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/05/self-directed-effort.html

Basically, it says (and I agree) that your motivation should come from yourself. You shouldn't need a trainer breathing down your neck in order to do the work.

After reading and thinking for a long time about this I decided that my effort would belong to no one but me. I wouldn't lose weight or bulk up so someone else would like me or find me attractive, I wouldn't hire a trainer (and exercise for fear of not getting my money's worth), and I wouldn't get a workout buddy (thus, get up for a workout for fear of standing them up and offending them). This probably comes over as posturing, but that's not my intent.

So what motivates me? I do. On a more practical level, in the last few k's of a run I do a lot of self-talk, the content of which comes mainly out of the whole Primal philosophy -- "You were BORN to do this!" I also look for ways to have fun while exercising. That's the mainly why I switched from road-running to trails, and why I scratched the marathon from my bucket list. I just couldn't find a way to make a marathon appealing anymore. Maybe that's the biggest thing -- working out is not about building character or struggling against the weights, it's about having a blast! Why wouldn't you get up early to have fun?! It's a lot easier than getting up to struggle through something you don't like in the name of building character or a physique that someone else will appreciate.

[Mama T]

so I was at the gym yesterday, working with a trainer who's been helping me with weights, form, etc., and we started doing box jumps, something I've never done b/c i'm afraid I'd fall. We started really low, but kept adding height as she thought i could do it. We got to about 15 inches and i was wigging myself out. I wasn't so sure I could make it, so she stops and she's like, "Can do you do something for me?" I'm thinking she's gonna suggest something about form, so I say yes. and she asks me, "Can you please have faith in yourself? Because you are a lot stronger than you think you are."

It was so simple, but it totally hit me. I always hit a mental wall before hitting a physical one during a new challenge or grueling workout. But if I can keep believing I'm stronger than I think I am, it will make those moments of self-doubt and exhaustion disappear. So that said, I gave it a shot and totally landed it - I made it to 19 inches, and don't doubt I could add a few more very soon if I let myself.

Just thought I'd share that story - it made me realize that not using any untapped potential is just a damn shame. Moral of the story:

Have faith in yourself. You are stronger than you think you are.

[Guest Snake McClain]

"Can you please have faith in yourself? Because you are a lot stronger than you think you are."

Have faith in yourself. You are stronger than you think you are.

Truer words have never been spoken Matilda. If you don't believe it you can't achieve it.

[RDOwens]

[Guest Snake McClain]

love this video.

I really liked the HBO boxing after dark "I still have a soul" the best though.

[VolFan21]

Lol can I first off just say--you guys are my heroes

Every one of you had something to say that would take me forever to multi-quote all ya'll so I'm just gonna say-right on!

I've been thinking more and more about my inspiration/motivation and I've come up with several things, besides the obvious ones.

When I was a kid, I was pretty athletic-ALWAYS outdoors, rain or shine, 100 degrees or 10 below, if I was allowed 5 minutes outside I took it and stretched it to the max. I always wanted to play sports but never got my chance when I was younger. Then something happened when I was about 14...I started sitting on my ass, indoors, all day. I stopped getting outside, stopped being active, I got sad,I got depressed and somewhere along the line I stopped believing in myself. I literally though I was ugly and uncapable of anything but consistent failure. Now several years later, after doing a lot of growing up and not just figuring out who I am but being comfortable with that, I've finally started to believe in myself-and it always comes as a surprise. It dawned on me today that everytime I'm surprised at myself when I accomplish something-that's kind of sad because somewhere along the way I still had doubts in myself.

If I was to say what my motivation 6 yrs ago or 6 months ago was, it would be "oh I wanna look good in these jeans so I can attract a hot guy" or "I wanna look like_______" "I wanna be skinny."

Now, my motivation is:

I want to be able to stand on my own two feet.

I want to be able to serve my country and take pride in myself.

I want to walk into a room and be the strongest most in-shape person in that room.

I don't want to just cross off the days on my calendar..I want to LIVE those days to the max.

I wanna push myself to the point where I keep pushing myself and realize there are no limits.

I want to be a person that's not just a "oh well she's cute" or "she's smart" ..I want to be a person that people can say "she was my best friend and she inspired me to really live."

I need to keep reminding myself of these things, like today when my shins started giving me hell again and I had to bow out of a run...I was so frustrated at myself that I could have punched something, but I have to remind myself that I'm not a quitter and having a setback doesn't mean I've failed, just means that I have to keep at it till I get it.

[Guest Snake McClain]

Ditto VolFan. Seriously I want to go into everything I do and i want people to step back and think 'WHOA that guy has it together.'

When your shins hurt...have you thought about trying these Vibram five finger toe shoes or whatever they are? word has it the shin pain goes away pretty much right away.