Motivation

Sometimes I’ll get asked by an athlete, “ What are you going to do to help motivate me?” I usually pause before I say anything to this question. 

One time I was having a conversation with Matt about motivation and athletes. He has been a coach 20+ years, and so have I. We can share and swap a lot of stories on coaching. I asked him if an athlete asks him this question what he responds with. He gave the exact same pause. 

If you’ve been coaching in any arena for a long time you know one things is true, if an athlete is going to be good, that motivation comes from within themselves.

If the athlete doesn’t have the drive, their own purpose, and own passion for what they are doing, it’s likely they will crack when the going gets tough. In training, but also in competition. Self driven is what makes it happen.

You have to know why you wake up everyday and do what you are doing! You have to have an unreasonable love for what you are doing!

Nobody can create that in you but YOU. My old coach use to say to me, “There is always one gal out there who is going to be slightly more obsessed than you.” That image of someone outworking me got me through a lot of sessions I wasn’t sure I could do. 

Motivation is the corner stone to success, understanding what motivates you comes from your true passion for what you are doing.