What Motivates the Motivated?

(This is a re-edited version of a post I wrote back in February for another site and I thought I would republish it here as the UK Athletics Olympic Trials are due to kick off today (Timetable)

I have recently been thinking a lot about what motivates people to continue along the grueling and arduous, sometimes painful, often tedious, path towards elite sport.

What are the motivations behind why we do it?  We often hear people quoted as saying that they are motivated by their dream of winning an Olympic medal, or by the sweet feeling of success that comes around when everything comes together, or just the fact that they love what they do.  We may love elements of what we do, but trust me, a lot of it ain’t fun!

I believe there are more personal, unique and individual reasons for pushing yourself to the limit, things that are more specific than just wanting to do your best or wanting to achieve something of significance.

I came very late to athletics at the age of 28.  This seems to be around about the time when you start doing the whole “What is the meaning of life? Why are we here” thing, if you haven’t already found something to be passionate about.  I came into it, not with a childhood dream of Olympic medals but with an adult curiosity around what would happen if I made a conscious decision to apply myself to something that was the one thing I remembered being quite good at school.  2½ years later, I found myself representing Great Britain at a World Championships! 

Motivation can evolve, and for me, the primary motivation became, using athletics as a tangible way of discovering, developing and applying principles, rules and techniques that can be applied to create success in other areas of life.  It became a kind of ‘life-laboratory’ or a workshop where I could refine and test the limits of a mindset that is transferable to other areas of life…in short, I’m all about maximising potential and athletics gave me an ideal way of expressing that.

The satisfy thrills of achievement when things go well and the adrenalin rush of competition are the emotional highs that provide addictive (seriously addictive I believe!) secondary motivators – the sugary icing on the cake that kept me coming back for more.

Being clear on exactly what motivates you, and being true to that motivation is what allows you to push through pain, overcome obstacles and willingly make sacrifices in pursuit of your objective.

What motivates you to do your ‘big thing’?  Please feel free to share in the comments…you might just motivate someone else!

“Motivation is an inner force that compels behaviours.  Your inner drives will propel you further and faster than external perks”

Denis Waitley