One part of this journey called life is figuring out what is your deep seeded motivation.  What is it that drives your day?   Is it a powerful quote? A charge given to you by a loved one?  Maybe even leadership of someone you look up to?  There are plenty of ways to be motivated…for a short time.  I’ve sat through my fair share of pregame speeches, and sure, I was motivated to get things accomplished on the field, but within 5 minutes of gametime, the motivation left and my discipline had to take over.   I believe that motivation is a great tool to get us moving sometime, but at the end of the day, it’s important to find your “Why“.  As in, “Why in the heck am I putting myself through this!?!”   I took some time to look at one aspect of my life and answer the question “Why do I want to be more fit?”

1. I want to live a healthier life

I have struggled with hypertension (high blood pressure), acid reflux, and just overall health issues due to my weight and habits.   So the first “Why” is all about my health.  I am (at the time of this blog post) 30 years old and shouldn’t be dealing with these health issues.   The positive thing is that I know by making healthy choices in my nutrition as well as consistent training, I can make a significant change to my health, providing me with a better lifestyle.

2. I want to perform at a higher level. 

What kind of performance you ask?  Well, I have been fairly athletic my entire life, and if you know me, I love to be competitive.  I thrive on competition.  So for me, performing at a higher level in my sports like golf, cross training (i.e. The Mountain Challenge), tennis, and other sports is an important aspect of my self esteem and overall mental health.   It is not the winning (which does help with my self esteem) that drives the positive movement in my life, but rather knowing that I put in my best effort and was able to contribute.   It takes high levels of athleticism to continue to contribute over the long run.

3.  I want to be physically appealing 

Now, many people may laugh or joke at this statement.  Others may say that your physical appearance doesn’t matter or shouldn’t be an impact of why I want to achieve something.   And for some of their statements, they are correct. I’m not saying I want to be a male model, because frankly, I don’t want it that much, but I’m focusing on being happy with my own appearance.  When you’ve been the “Big” guy your whole  life, you become insecure about your weight and the way you look.   For me, I have many shirts and pants that I cannot wear due to being too small.  Also, I cannot go to just any store and purchase clothes.  It will be nice to be able to simply go purchase a shirt or pants in a store without wondering if they actually carry a size large enough.  Those combined with the desire to have a “good body” is part of my “Why”.  

There are definitely more reasons why I want to accomplish this goal, but these are really the top three.  Others will not have your same drivers, but ultimately knowing your Why can be one of the most motivating aspects of life.   Are these prefect? No, far from it. These are what drives me.   Now your challenge is to find what really drives you.   What’s your why?