by Paul Dexter, copyright dextertraining.com
What is motivation? …….Besides something that we are always searching for?
Is it something that is innate? Or is it something that falls upon us? …..
It is neither. Motivation is something that has to be acquired through desire. If the desire and passion for a goal, is not there, that goal will never be achieved. Motivation doesn’t just appear, you need to get up and get it…. Action comes before Motivation.
You can’t sit at home needing to get fit and say “I’m not motivated right now to exercise”. You have to get up, get moving, the motivation to continue will follow. Whether it is weight loss, muscle building, sports, relationships, or your career…. If you do not have a desire to be successful you can pretty much guarantee you won’t be.
Motivation is defined as the desire or aspiration for achieving a goal combined with the efforts to work towards that goal.
Motivation is what forces you to overcome adversity. Anything worth having is worth working for. We all have overcome adversity at one time or another, and that victory was sweet. When we have achieved success without adversity it never is as satisfying as those victories we fought so hard to win.
I have always been a big fan of motivational books and quotes. When ever I trained for a competition I would have quotes hung up all over my house to keep me focused and help me stay motivated and accomplish my goal. When you find one that connects to you, it inspires.
My personal favorite…. “Embrace that which defines you”. I don’t even know who said it. I heard it once and it always stuck with me. It has motivated me to live the life that I love, fulfilled with all my passions that define who I am.
Below, I have listed some of my favorite inspirational quotes and hope that one connects with you. Use it, whether it is to lose weight, or to get that job promotion, no matter what your goal, make it your driving force to overcome that challenge and achieve it!….. I hope they help.
| 1. Strive for progress, not perfection. -Unknown |
| 2. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. -Wayne Gretzky |
| 3. If you don’t make mistakes, you aren’t really trying. -Unknown |
| 4. You live longer once you realize that any time spent being unhappy is wasted. -Ruth E. Renkl |
| 5. Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. -Mahatma Gandhi |
| 6. Motivation will almost always beat mere talent. -Norman R. Augustine |
| 7. I’d rather be a failure at something I enjoy than a success at something I hate. -George Burns |
| 8. Energy and persistence conquer all things. -Benjamin Franklin |
| 9. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. -Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| 10. Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. -Albert Einstein |
| 11. Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. -Lou Holtz |
| 12. Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. -Jim Ryan |
| 13. I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. -Michael Jordan |
| 14. Fear is what stops you… courage is what keeps you going. -Unknown |
| 15. The finish line is just the beginning of a whole new race. -Unknown |
| 16. The difference between a goal and a dream is a deadline. -Steve Smith |
| 17. Just do it.™ -Nike |
| 18. The secret of getting ahead is getting started. -Mark Twain |
| 19. It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not. -Anonymous |
| 20. Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity. -Oprah Winfrey |
| 21. It’s never too late to become what you might have been. -George Elliot |
| 22. Clear your mind of can’t. -Samuel Johnson
23. Maybe you can’t, because you won’t? – Anonymous 24. Action mus come before motivation. – Anonymous 25. If you don’t do it, you will never do it. – Anonymous 26. It is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be, by remaining what we are – Max Depree |
