Motivation and Motivational Tools, what are yours?

S

Scott_Free

0
Thought I would start a thread to see what some people use as their motivation to exercise, be it health reasons, ego, family, etc.

Also what types of things do you use to keep you motivated.

I can start.

My main motivation for exercising and dieting is my vision of who I am. My personality and lifestyle reflect a certain body/shape in my mind. When I am not in that shape, whether I am overweight or under muscled I do not feel that I am myself. When I look in the mirror I see myself, and behind me is what I feel I should look like, until those two images line up, I will not stop.

For motivational tools, I use my MP3 player to keep the tunes going while I work out. Any time I hear/think of a song that gets me pumped it goes on my list and I add it. I work in an office all day long and stare at a computer screen. I changed my desktop to a motivational picture. This forum and reading stories from real people helps motivate me, not professionals who get paid to look good and be in shape (not trashing personal trainers or the like), but people like me that make a commitment to themselves and start the journey. Another small motivational tool I use is I set monthly goals and attach a reward to those goals, so an example is, if I reach my goal for February I am going to go out and buy myself a new workout shirt (prehaps something tighter :) ).

Now let me hear what works for you.
 
A year ago, I benched the bar...(age 14)...That summer I got a bench, and since then, my bench has gone up 50 pounds (Squat 60)...People always thought negative of me working out (jerks). But all you have to do is think positive (works for me). Motivation for me is 90% in my head. To impress myself. The other 10% of motivation is the people watching me.
 
It was July 13th, 1995 at 0115 hrs. I was back up on a traffic stop and we had 3 subjects out of the vehicle and being searched. Dispatch called an adjoining district and asked them to start towards my beat and pick up a domestic violence call. They advised they would find him some back up. Being that is was my beat I advised I could clear and head that way. As I walked to my car dispatch advises they have an open line and there is an assault in progress. I pick up the pace and get to my vehicle. Clicking on the blues I reverse out of the traffic stop and do a U turn. Putting me the wrong way on a one-way street in order to get to the call quickly. Dispatch advises for everyone to hold their traffic and tells me to step it up; they have lost contact with the caller and can only hear fighting and screaming. I punch on the siren and bury the pedal into the floorboard. Another officer advises he will back me up. Within 30 seconds I am tearing into the back lot of the housing project and see the suspect jump from a second story balcony. He hits the ground running and heads for the alley. With my back up on the way, I give chase. Within 50 yds I reach out to snag the guys collar and he swirls around with a bottle in his hand and catches me just above the left eye. At the same time I stroke him in the right knee with my nightstick. We both go down, with me using my nightstick to forcefully shatter his sternum as we fall. We hit the ground and he is on top of me. For the first time in my career I am terrified. His eyes, his strength and his actions all let me know he is so whacked out that can feel nothing I am doing. For the next 60 seconds we fight. He trying to get my gun, me trying my damnest to control him without killing him. He tries to get me in a headlock and says, What are you going to do now, pig. By now I have lost my nightstick and my cuffs. My shirt is ripped in half and my vest is soaked in blood. I had no idea if it was his or mine. The only thing I can specifically remember during the fight was to roll on my side and lock my service weapon under me until such time I could justify shooting him. I was scared, I was running out of options and I could faintly hear the sirens of my back up. Just hold out for a few more seconds, was my thought. But that few seconds was the longest of my life. For fear that I was running low, I grabbed his balls in my left hand and gripped his throat between my right middle finger and my thumb. I squeezed with everything I had. In the distance I could hear cops screaming for back up, they had arrived and a huge crowd had gathered to watch the skinny little cop take down the big drug dealer. As they ran forward, the suspect went limp. With my knuckles white from the pressure and my vest and undershirt red from the blood, the first unit to arrive rolled him off of me. We quickly handcuffed his limp body and were forced to draw our weapons on the now enormous crowd that was beginning to come forward. I reached for my radio and screamed for help. I am sure I sounded like a ten-year-old girl. But no one heard my call as my radio had been ripped from my shoulder during the fight. But everyone was already on his or her way. Within moments the housing project was a sea of blue and several arrests were being made. Fifteen minutes later the street was clear, the people were inside and I was on my way to the hospital where I would receive a total of 28 stitches in 3 cuts. The only noticeable sign on the street of the vicious struggle was the 3 x 3 patch of blood on the sidewalk. The suspect recovered and will not be up for parole for 23 more years. The caller died from her injuries on the same night that I thought I might as well. People ask me everyday why I go to the gym every morning and why I work so hard. I typically re-cant the story of one of the back-ups that was there that night and how five years later he was shot and killed and how that is my motivation. Perhaps it is my true motivation. But have no doubt. Given the chance, I would chase that guy back down that alley and fight for my life as well as those who depend on me. Even though I am no longer a cop, I am a husband and a father who believes that you have to be ready for what life delivers to you. Bring it on, I am ready!
 
On Dec. 24th, 2001 Detective Don Miller and his wife were walking through the parking lot of the local hospital in order to visit their pre-mature child who had been born just days before. Det. Miller saw a gentleman in the parking lot that was distraught and decided to check on him prior to going inside. As the couple approached, the man removed a handgun and shot Don at point blank range in the head. The gun jammed as he tried to shoot Tracy and the man fled, only to be captured within minutes. Don however, would never recover and died on Christmas morning. Upon capture the guy was found to have two loaded guns and was on his way into the ER to open fire. Don had just saved numerous lives.

Not only to me, but also to many, Don was a good partner and an even better friend. He had saved lives on countless occasions and even those of some of our own. We used to fish and cookout all the time. He was a positive influence to everyone he met. But it was the extra that he put into everything that makes this nightmare of a story relevant. Don was relentless when it came to fitness. He ran everyday. He even returned to run within a week after being hit by a car while out on a run one evening. He spent hour after hour each week lifting and working out. If you were in the gym with Don and you were slacking, he would let you know. Even if he didn’t know you, he helped you to reach your goals. Not a day went by that Don didn’t have some routine to make himself the best. He was an inspiration for those of us who were all talk about working out. He strived to be the best at everything he did.

I spent the next several days coping with what happened then made the drive to the funeral and spent the day with friends. Then it happened, one of the old squad members informed me that if Don could see my belly and the weight I had gained he would kick my ass. And he was right. So it started and now I am out of control. My bf is down to 10%, all my lifts are up, I weigh 182 at 6 ft 1” and feel great. I hate rest days and can’t wait to get to the gym. Once again Don has influenced my life. As stated in his eulogy that holiday season, “I bet he’s got everyone in heaven on a weight bench right now”

We could all learn from Don’s way of life, but most of all I learned that coming in second is not for me. If you do not want to be the best then don’t play the game!
 
pussy is my biggest motivator.

I wanna **** more girls so logically I should change my body shape into something that girls find more attractive.

Secondly it also improves my confidece in myself and around other people. women find confidence attractive.

I find it weird that people need motivation to hit the gym. the mere act of pumping iron and the chemicals it releases is more than enough to motivate me.
 
Sphinx said:
pussy is my biggest motivator.

I wanna **** more girls so logically I should change my body shape into something that girls find more attractive.

Secondly it also improves my confidece in myself and around other people. women find confidence attractive.

I find it weird that people need motivation to hit the gym. the mere act of pumping iron and the chemicals it releases is more than enough to motivate me.
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Wow, I am sure the women on the board appreciate your thoughtful response.
 
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yeah totally tenpercent!!! Sphinx that just makes u so kool dusnt it??? NO!!! desperate jerk!!
and tenpercent your stories are great!!! good on u for posting them :)
 
tenpercent - Thank you for sharing both stories. Count another person inspired by both you and Don.

My motivation....those type of accounts. "Ordinary" people doing extraordinary things.

DM
 
hm...my main motivation that got me started was watching my brother beaing beaten by several guys and knowing I could do a thing or I'd end up with the same fate as him...thats what got me started and I went ahrdcore for a few months...then he went to rehab and got out of all that and I slowly started to lose motivation but I kept going...now I only go if theres somebody with me, my main motivation would be addiction or watching younger, weaker friends get bigger with me....
 
Thank you for sharing, tenpercent.

I train because I've been a ****-disturber since I was old enough to communicate. I also have lofty/chivalrous principles and a terrible curse for expressing myself that would have gotten me maimed or killed long before now if I was less than supremely capable of defending myself. :D

That's the simple answer..I could go on about my belief in the socratic principle of the philosopher-kings and my own delusions of grandeur that propel me towards enlightenment, an aspect of which I believe is our physical shells' reflection of our mental state...but I'll spare you that. Nobody who isn't getting paid should be forced to endure my rambling soliloquys. :D

As for my motivational tools, I don't have any..the way I keep myself motivated is very simple. I make decisions in the moment. When I find myself leaning towards a bad choice I take time from whatever im doing, think about what I really want, and if necessary hammer at myself mentally to make the right decision. With practice, like anything else, I've become able to consistently make the right choices so that it's become a habit that's hard to break. :)
 
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Used to be I feared being old and poor most. Now, I fear being old and poor and helpless due to illness or other infirmities. I'm in this to get fit, and stay fit for life.

I've had too many people close to me die in the last few years, mostly due to illness, some of it possibly preventable. I'm almost a year as a non-smoker, turned 40, and am gung-ho in getting in shape and staying in shape. I do it for ME. I do it to fight back at the Grim Reaper that has visited too close and too often.

Sphinx, you are full of testosterone, a kid with a new toy. Check back with us in about 20 years and relate your motivations then, when the kids are vomiting and the car payment is due, and your job just got offshored. It's not surprising that you don't understand how people need motivation, but then, you have not had the benefit of Real Life as an adult.

I do appreciate your honesty, but your delivery needs work, as does your assumption that chicks will just fall into bed with you because you work out and are confident. Good luck with that.
 
Great stories Tenpercent!

Here's a few things that motivate me:
1. Not wanting to be the fat kid ever again.
2. Getting my dad, who is 50+, to exercise and lose weight after seeing me do the same.
3. Having the opportunity to donate old clothes to charity after losing weight.
4. Hoping to give more clothes away as I lose more weight.
5. Having people question the fact that I go to the gym about 5 days per week because I still don't necessarily look like I do. It just makes me want to work harder!
6. Going home for the holidays and hearing people say "wow, you look great"
7. Knowing that I feel physically better now than when I was significantly heavier.
8. Thinking that after a rough day all it takes is a workout to mentally feel better.
 
Sphinx said:
pussy is my biggest motivator.


I wanna **** more girls so logically I should change my body shape into something that girls find more attractive.

Secondly it also improves my confidece in myself and around other people. women find confidence attractive.

I find it weird that people need motivation to hit the gym. the mere act of pumping iron and the chemicals it releases is more than enough to motivate me.
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lol i laughed when i read this.

Well there's few reasons why i do what i do.
1. It helps to be fit and have a good body for a carear in personal training (i dont wanna tell some fat guy to do 5 mins more on the treadmill if couldn't do it myself).
2. I have nothing else to do. Seriously, if i didn't work out i think i'd be bored most of the time.
3. Look and feel good. I don't care what you say, i can gauruntee that EVERYONE on this board uses the opposite sex as a motivation tool. (and it works too ;) )
4. Since i started watching UFC i've been impressed at the chisled physiques especially of the welterweights and middleweights (phil baroni and matt hughes look amazing). These two guys are about the same height as me and i wanna look like them.
5. Self Satisfaction. Mirrors are your best freind (figuratievely speaking of course) when you have a great body. At school i can also look at other people and say that i look better than they do. Harsh words but i'm sure that you do it too.
 
My biggest motivation is purpose in life. My purpose is to do well and acheive my goals. One of my goals is to join the army and be self sufficient.
A big influence that has motivated me is my brother, we used to go to the gym together. But recently, as of two days ago he moved to Europe for an uncertain amount of time.
 
My grandfather died of a heart attack when he was 41.
My Dad had his first heart attack at 33, his second at 55, a quadruple bypass at 60, and has prostate cancer. Part of his issues were hereditary, but mostly were due to poor diet and lack of exercise. I was a fat kid, until the day my Dad had his first heart attack.The week after he got home, I bought a 110 lb weight set and an 18 dollar weight bench from Sears. That was almost 30 years ago, and besides occasionally getting a bit of a gut over the Holidays, I stay in good shape.
My other motivation is my hobby. I ride stand-up jet skis freestlyle. And the stronger I am, the better I can ride and the more/bigger tricks I can pull off.Which leads to my third motivation: Chicks dig a buff guy in a shorty wetsuit!! (My wife tells me all the time)
 
No one hates you.

One of the hardest things to grasp as a teenager is that in order to gain respect you have to show respect.





Aw, geez, when did I turn into my dad!
 
Tenpercent that is a very touching memory. Thank you for sharing it. My modivations are my kids, I want to be here for them for a long time and able to do the things they love with them. I want to be able to do my job effectively without thinking that I may not be able to lift a patient and thereby delay treatment that would potentially kill them. I want to be healthy and be active into my later years so that I can continue to enjoy life. Lastly I want to be strong enough physically and emotionaly so that no man will ever beat me up again. Plain simple easy. Modivators- I look into my childrens eyes and know I do my best for them, I look into my patients eyes and know that I can help them, I look in the mirrior and for the first time ever I really like myself.
 
Sphinx said:
Jeez, dont hate me for being honest.
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I don't hate you.

I have a tendency to get annoyed when men treat women like sex objects, but you're young and preoccupied with getting laid. I understand where you're coming from, but it doesn't make it any less offensive to women. I hope you can understand how it sounds to the females?
 
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