You may not know this about me, but I consider myself a fitness junkie.
In fact, if I don’t hit the gym at least 3 days a week (not including cardio), I feel like total garbage.
The truth is though, I wasn’t always this passionate about my fitness. It took me a long, long time to foster that addiction.
But in the process, I learned an important lesson about motivation — one that can be applied to any goal you set for yourself, whether it’s boosting your income, becoming a better parent, or getting in the best shape of your life.
Here’s how it all started…
Back in my early 20s (and most of the years before then) I was NOT in fantastic shape. I was far from having an “athletic” body.
But just a couple years ago when living in San Francisco, I discovered a gymnastics gym not far from me that offered adult classes.
“Gymnastics?!” I thought. “That sounds fun!”
And boy was it ever. I had a blast. And the enjoyment I got from doing back handsprings and front tucks motivated me to hit the gym 3-4 days a week.
But then, at the beginning of this year, I moved back to Baltimore and lost that driving force in my fitness.
And as a result, I started slacking.
I could tell that I was getting weaker and I quickly lost the 6-pack that I worked so hard to sculpt.
And that’s when I found a new source of motivation: my self-esteem.
You see, once I got really fit, I loved looking at myself in the mirror. And it worked wonders for my ego to hear friends and even random strangers compliment me on my body.
And when I started to lose that feeling, I got a renewed sense of urgency to build out a home gym… take advantage of the pandemic… and get into even better shape than I was before.
Now, I know this was a long story that’s not about marketing or business.
But the point I’m trying to make is this…
The “reason why” you do something is different for everyone (and it can even change over time).
For some, it’s internal.
And for others, it’s external.
Both types of motivation can be powerful.
But the key is sustained success is to identify which one pushes you the most for any given action.
Do you want to be the world’s best copywriter because you love to write… or because you’re uber competitive and enjoy the feeling of beating controls?
Do you want a 7-figure income because you have a deep desire for financial security… or because you want to impress your family?
Do you want to be a world-renowned coach because of the ego boost you get from others wanting your advice… or because of the satisfaction you get from seeing your clients get results?
None of these answers are wrong.
It’s just critical that you get clarity about which reason motivates you the most so that you can turn to that well of inspiration whenever you need a push to get stuff done.
So ask yourself:
“What’s the ONE thing I want most?”
Then…
“What’s the ONE reason why I want it so bad?”
Answer both questions and achieving your goal becomes a whole-lot easier.
Your pen pal,
Matt Rizvi