We all have a why — the reason and driving force that motivates us to work hard, be consistent, and work towards our goals. For some, it might just be to improve our self-confidence and feel safer in our own skin. For others, to be a competitive athlete.
Whatever your why is, it’s a powerful motivator that can help orient us when faced with difficult decisions.
And most difficult decisions aren’t massive ones, either. A difficult decision might be getting off the couch on a rainy day to get to class, or to not take an extra serving of dessert at a social gathering when we’ve committed to a specific dietary plan.
These decisions are so difficult specifically because they are so easy to make against our best interests.
A quick reminder of our why can help jolt us back on track and keep us going in the right direction.
As a professional MMA fighter, I was constantly dieting. I competed at 145lbs (featherweight) and regularly had to be about 20 pounds under my walking weight the day before each fight. This was not easy — I don’t exactly have a lot of weight to lose.
I would always surround myself with my why — my cell phone screen had images of me in the cage, my fridge would have notes I’d written to myself, and so on. I surrounded myself with my why and therefore it was always a consideration it in every decision I made.
This may seem a bit over the top, sure… but so is a 20 pound weight cut 🙂 Your level of sacrifice and commitment has to match or exceed the cost and level of your goals, whatever they are.
Make sure to surround yourself with your why and you will find much more success in this process!