Still struggling to get Motivated?

All the tips and tricks in the world, to help you set up a new routine, don't mean squat if you are not motivated to do them, stick to them, etc.

This blog is written solely to help remind you what got you motivated in the first place. It would probably be easy to remember what motivated you to join the gym. Although we still want you motivated to workout during this (Covid) time, this is about way more than just working out. This is about being productive with your time. Keeping you and your family sane. Making sure you are not reverting to old habits and wasting away the day.

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There two types of Motivation; Internal and External. There is also positive and negative motivation for each, we are only focusing on the positive today. If it helps though, think of a Coach telling the team "you're all skating lines if you lose this game". Negative motivation to try harder.

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Internal motivation is seen when a person undertakes an activity for its own sake without any sort of external reward, such as a hobby. Internal motivation can result from our feelings (e.g., happiness, anger, and sadness), thoughts (e.g., “I better finish the report before the deadline tonight.”), values and goals.

External motivation is evident when someone behaves a particular way for reasons external to, or outside of, the person, such as money or coercion. External motivation may come from parents, a boss, coworkers, friends, and siblings. It is most frequently thought of in terms of salary (i.e., money), promotions, grades, praise, and punishment.

Positive Internal‍
Acting in accordance with your values
Satisfaction
Sensory pleasure
Sense of competence
Enjoyment
Praise from self
Self-respect
Fulfillment of aspirations/dreams
Sense of achievement
Highly engaged in activity
Constructive anger or stress
Job satisfaction
Goal setting
Pursuing our natural tendency towards self-development
Need for affiliation with others
Perception that what you are doing is morally significant

Positive External
‍Money (only lasts a short period)
Rewards
Public recognition
Empowerment from others
Promotion
Praise from others
Respect from others
Pleasant work environment
Challenging work
Some autonomy and input into decisions
Appropriate responsibility
Fringe benefits
Friendships at work

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Let's think about some example that may relate to your current daily life:

-Cleaning the house or specific area
Internal: you did it to take some stress off your spouse! Even though that may feel like "praise from others", you did it because you knew it was important to them. Or, you did it to feel good about your productivity.
External: less likely, but could be viewed as having more space, found missing items, getting rid of unnecessary things.

-Working on your hobby
Internal: you did it simply because you love that hobby.
External: can you sell your hobby? Maybe

-Went through the kids' toys (with them), or your closet, or anything you have an excess of
Internal: the joy of being able to donate what they/you no longer use and knowing it will help others

-Finished that project (big or small)
Internal: you built or created something to be proud of!
External: you have a new usable room, desk?, garage?, painted room?, new countertops?, etc. You have a physical thing that is now usable.

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If you still need help figuring out what makes you tick, take this QUIZ.
It's by Gretchen Rubin. She wrote a book called "The Four Tendencies". It has been recommended to me many times!

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You get the idea. Use the list above and think about the things you could or maybe should get done. Why are they important to you?

Now that you know, why are you wasting time?

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LAST, we know not all of you are sitting around being bums. I'm sure there are some parents reading this thinking "I wish I had time for projects!". I won't pretend to understand, but if you go through the list above, does it change your perspective on what you are spending your time on? Mostly meaning, make sure you get some time for yourself as well. We know you are holding everything together, make sure you recharge.

Those of you without kids and/or full plates: I know stress from not working may be at an all-time high, but if you do have time - DON'T WASTE IT!

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Coach Ryan

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*All definitions and List(s) above from https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-power-of-positive-internal-motivation/

By John L. Schinnerer, Ph.D.

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