I will gladly admit
that I am a very driven and achieving individual. I have been called an overachiever by a few people as well. I take great pride in the work I’ve done so
far, both personally and professionally.
I may not have accomplished everything I want in life quite yet, but I
do consider myself to be quite young still. If all goes to plan, I have many,
many great years ahead of me. I intend
to take advantage of every single one.
Most days, I am
pretty motivated. The intensity of the
motivation varies from a teensy bit
motivated/I got myself out of bed, what more do you want? to I CAN CONQUER THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD. I say that I typically lie between the
two extremes: Let’s get sh-t done!
However, there are
days when my motivation is at the low end.
Just barely in the I got myself
out of bed category. These typically
happen when I am low on energy or just in a horrendous mood … or both. I’ve had more of those days than I can count
since I started graduate school. As I’ve
previously mentioned, grad school and internship can be so draining, physically
and mentally. I didn’t know my brain
could be this tired; however it does make sense. I am utilizing a lot of mental and physical
energy, despite me trying to deny it sometimes.
As with almost
everyone out there, I lose motivation to do things sometimes. Specifically exercising. My first round of TurboFire, I only missed a total of about 5 days, but I backed up a
week and really only skipped one workout.
My second round (the one I am currently in), I’ve missed … quite a few
days. More than five. I don’t know that it was and is about 2013
thus far, but my energy levels seems to deplete quite quickly.
I find that not
being motivated is so discouraging. I hate feeling unmotivated. For the most part, I really enjoy working
out, especially to TurboFire. But those days where I just want to sit on my
couch and do nothing – well, I just sit on my couch and do nothing.
These unmotivated
days do not last long, but I find myself really struggling to be motivated
sometimes. So what works for me? I’ve found that I need reminders of how far I
have come in terms of fitness and life in general.
- The fact that, at
age 16, I weighed 190 lbs., possibly more, and that at age 28, I weigh almost
60 lbs. less. I look better and am much healthier than I was at 16.
- The fact that, two
years ago, I got serious about losing weight and have managed to keep the
weight off since then.
- The fact that I can
complete something like the Fire 60
class for TurboFire and not pass out
at the end.
- The fact that I can
complete a workout program while still doing school and internship
- The fact that I can
look at my body in the mirror and not be completely disgusted by it.
- The fact that I can
go up a flight of stairs without wanting to die.
- The fact that I
wanted to do something with my life – thus, master’s in clinical psychology
with a specialization in counseling psychology and moving to Chicago to do so.
Once I start
thinking about what I have done so far, the motivation starts creeping back
in. If I need an extra push, I go to
Chalene Johnson’s or TurboFire's Facebook page and look at some of the inspirational quotes
she posts. They’re always so positive
and sometimes the one last thing I need to read before I scamper off to change
into my workout clothes.
What do you do to
get yourself motivated – not just for working out, but for work, school, life?
