The Journey Part 3: Drive!
Believe it or not, before April of last year I had not struggled much. The reason is twofold, part of which I am proud of and the other part of which I am not.
I had not struggled previously because I was operating within my comfort zone. My comfort zone had been expanded due to years of discipline to where it was easy to workout 5 to 6 days a week and eat right. I had built those healthy habits. I am proud that I was able to discipline myself to the point where healthy behaviors were habits, something I could almost do on “autopilot”. I am not proud that I stayed in that zone for so long, not pushing the boundaries, not testing my limits.
Author’s Note: This should excite you. Everyone reading this is capable over time of establishing new healthy habits and in a few years you may not even recognize the old you!
There certainly will be times in your life where fitness endeavors take a back seat. [This does not mean you ignore your health and wellness, but possibly your more intense goals take a back seat to a slower, more gradual approach] More so for you reading this, but this is who I am. I am a personal trainer. Fitness is what I do. I should be getting outside of my comfort zone, to learn and grow and become a better trainer.
Just as for you, whatever your area of interest is, your passion, your hobby, you should be pushing the envelope, as well. Don’t operate in your comfort zone too long. But I digress.
Let’s back up, how did I get to the point where working out consistently and eating right was not a struggle. One word. Drive.
I have drive.
This is not something you can substitute for. I honestly believe without it, you will only go so far. I am not alone in thinking this. I have heard many people I respect echo this same thought although not always with the same words. If you haven’t figured out what drives you, what you truly value. Stop now.
No seriously, stop now. Figure it out. Then come back and finish this article. As your trainer, I can only motivate you to a certain degree, beyond that you have to be self motivated. That said, I do have a few practical tips I will share in the next part of this series of how you can potentially boost your drive.
Some more good news, you don’t have to DIRECTLY value fitness to choose healthier behaviors. For example, simply valuing your spouse and wanting to live a long healthy life with him or her can drive you to eat better and workout.
“I value Christlike character…Inspiring my clients and serving their needs is completely in line with attempting to be more Christlike.”
While I didn’t use the word “drive” in that article, when you value something enough, it will most certainly drive you to change your behavior. Value your new car? I bet you drive it carefully and get it checked up frequently. Value your children? I am sure you try to spend quality time with them every chance you get. Those are all examples of external things you can value (forgive me for calling children "things"!). But, of course, we can and should also value concepts. Value justice? You may choose to enter law enforcement. Value charity? You may give your time and money to agencies that help others.
My drive helped get me from dad-bod to bodybuilding stage. It took me from a few workouts a week and no focus on nutrition to consistent effort in the kitchen and the gym.
And then after the bodybuilding stage my growth slowed. I didn’t lose my passion for fitness, it's still there. What I was missing was a reason to grow, a larger goal to reach toward. Maybe I hadn’t set a larger goal because life was too busy or maybe deep down I knew that it wasn’t time.
I didn’t have any role models in my life, I didn’t have connections with others who had similar passions and I wasn’t taking care of myself in terms of making time for activities that recharge. While I didn’t know it at the time, all of those ideas are on the list of helpful mindfulness techniques (see Part 2 of this series). Precisely the techniques that can help you become resilient in the face of struggles. Techniques that can help you succeed when attempting challenging goals.
This past year, all of that changed. I was inspired by connections I made with personal training clients who I could relate to. I also lucked upon two role models in the outdoor sports world who had immediate impacts on me. I began recharging more with prayer and solitude on long hikes. I started to remind myself that pain is temporary when I fatigue during workouts (don’t worry, not actual “bad” pain). With the pieces of the puzzle fitting together, I now had what I needed to complement the drive I had.
I often use the words “fitness journey” when blogging. Well, this has certainly been a journey for me too, both literally and figuratively. I'm pushing the boundaries of what I can endure mentally and physically. And I’m succeeding because, without knowing what they were called and that they were all research based, I was engaging in mindfulness techniques.
When I wrote Part 2, I assumed that the struggles you faced were because you chose goals that were legitimately challenging and therefore, it was going to be an uphill battle. However, with proper preparation and using the ideas put forth in Part 2, it was a battle that you could win.
Here’s some math for you:
Drive (Values) + Specific Challenging Goals + Mindfulness Techniques = Victory
To use myself as an example, one year ago I had drive, but no specific challenging goals and no active awareness of mindfulness techniques. And so, I had no growth, no victory to claim.
Earlier in this article I encouraged you to stop reading and figure out what drives you because it was that important. Some words of warning; If you don't identify what drives you then your life will still be driven, but it will be driven by things that you don't necessarily like, i.e. your fears and other people's demands on you. You may feel a bit like a passenger on your own life journey with someone else behind the wheel. And you might not like their driving.
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