Find Your Why

 

My huge motto as a personal trainer and motivator is: “You have to know your ‘why’ in order to know your how.” The “why” is everything.

How can you get anywhere if you don’t know where you are going? How can you succeed if you don’t know your purpose behind an end goal? You have to have a purpose for strategic planning and execution. The “why” is the drive that pushes you when the journey gets tough. The “why” is your intrinsic motivator.

How to find your “why:”

Ask yourself the following questions. That’s right, it’s time to dig deep.

Who are you doing this for?

Are you doing it for an ex? Are you doing it to look good for that cute classmate? Are you doing it for revenge? Are you doing it because society tells you to be or look a certain way? Or, are you doing it for YOU?  Are you doing it to feel more confident? To love yourself? To see what your body is capable of? To look and feel good on your terms?

Who is driving your “why?”

Sometimes it is not an easy question to answer or admit, and other times it is very simple. At the end of the day, you should be doing it for you. Once you start transforming to a fitness lifestyle, you will love how you feel!  You might even crave the strangely addictive endorphin fix….the reward for hard work!

What are your excuses?

Time? Money? Effort? Fear? Often times, our excuses are a fall back to a comfort zone. We are comfortable defeating ourselves before we start, due to a lack of confidence in ourselves or motivation to begin. We get comfortable with unhealthy or destructive habits and imagine what we could do or be, instead of going out and doing it. Our “why” can pull us away from the self-defeating behavior.

A common excuse is the lack of patience for receiving the reward. If we don’t see or feel the reward right away, then we create excuses that keep us from moving forward. Achieving a goal is a process, a journey. We have to dig deep to find the discipline. We have to build an awareness of when we are making excuses that prevent us from moving forward. We must have a “why” strong enough to persevere and reach the goal.

We must combat the fear and get started. Start somewhere!

How do you like to be rewarded?

Compliments? Feelings? Tangible proof? Health status? Visual appearance? Trophies? None of these are wrong; in fact, they are important to have on your journey. You have to know what kind of reward you are seeking and what kind of encouragement or cheerleader you need, to keep working toward your goals. There are small rewards that prove your progress and help you reach your desired goal. Seek them. Mark them. They are part of your “why.”

Now.... What to do with your “why?”

Take the following steps:

(1) Set your big goal

Sign up for a 5k or half marathon. Aim to walk 12,000 steps a day. Find a partner to workout with or to help keep each other accountable with eating and workout habits. Hire a personal trainer. Buy a cute outfit you want to wear for your future self. Set a strength training goal weight you want to lift. Write it down!

(2) Strategically plan how you will achieve your goal

Write down your plan. Buy a Fitbit or step-counting tracker. Schedule your workouts and meals ahead of time. Set alarms. Write workouts or ask your trainer to help you. Write down the path and keep your “why” behind all your strategic planning.

(3) Put it to action

Go do the work that you set out to do! Forget your excuses. Always remind yourself why you started and where you are going, because that’s how you will get to the finish line.

Someone can give you all the tools, resources, and tell you what to do, but at the end of the day it is up to you and your “why!” I’m cheering you on…Now you have to learn to cheer yourself on too!