Who are YOU?
I receive a lot of questions about motivation. As a coach, I’ve heard it all: people say they’ve become injured or sick. They got thrown off course. They got married. All kinds of weird shit happens to you, right? Life happens, and life can definitely interfere with some of the things we love to do. The reason why I never stop is because I’m always thinking: WHO AM I? Think about that for a minute: Who Are You? Who Are YOU? Who the Hell Are You?
Are you the person your parents named you after? Are you that name?
Do you represent that name?
Who you are is not determined by who you want to be. It’s determined by people’s perception of you. Our perception is our reality. How do people perceive you? Nobody’s full blast, nobody’s full bore 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We all have our shortcomings.
I am a lifter. When I step into the gym, I’m trying to bring it every single time. I’m not a tough guy, I’m no special person. If I were a tough guy, I’d be fighting in the UFC. But I’m not. That’s not me. That’s not what I do. I’m a lifter. And you’ve got to think, what’s the perception of you out there? So if you lose motivation, if you’ve fallen off the wagon and shit starts falling apart, start thinking about that for a minute. Start thinking about not only what other people are going to think of you, but also how you’re going to think of yourself.
If you’re lazy, you’re not stepping up, and you’re not putting in your time, that’ll be the word that’s going around about you.
I’ve put a lot of time into the gym, as many of you have. I’ve had my moments where I’ve done well, and I’ve had my moments where I’ve done shitty. At times, I’m very motivated, and at times I’m not. You’re not always going to be 100% motivated to go kick some ass. So how do you stay motivated? How do you stay fired up?
One of the best ways to become the best YOU is to set goals for yourself that are within reach to be successful. Don’t say you want to squat 1,000 lbs. when you haven’t squatted 700 yet. Don’t be delu- sional. Tell yourself, “You know what? I want to squat 720 lbs.” Or, “I want to feel 800 lbs. in the gym. I just want to un-rack it.” Set small goals for yourself now, so when you accomplish them, they build on themselves. Success breeds success. For every successful moment you have, you can think of it as a giant pat on the back. And every time you get a pat on the back, it’s giving you more and more confidence. That confidence will build and build and build and when you’re that confident it’s a little bit easier to stay motivated. When you get down on yourself, that’s when things start to get a little harder. So keep your chin up, keep training hard. And remember that part of knowing who you are is knowing who you are not. Work on figuring that shit out. But in the meantime, get your ass in the gym and train hard.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Bell is the owner of Super Training Gym and Sling Shot Products LLC, inventor of the Sling Shot, American professional powerlifter, patent holder, and former professional wrestler.