Where do you get your motivation?

[INDYFIGHTER]

My motivation comes and goes. I'll quit smoking for a few weeks and train hard. I'll start to see results and start feeling good and then I'll just stop. I'll start drinking and partying alot and chain smoking. I always revert back to my old self. Honestly I'm probably clinicly depressed or clinicly something. Sometimes it's like I'm on the ball and other times I'm just off. When I'm on I'll go home and cook for myself, clean my house, keep my car and bikes clean and maintained. When I'm off I'll go home and sit in front of the tv watching Discovery or The History channel and smoke a pack of cigarettes. Sometimes I can go to bed and get seven hours sleep and get up and run or work out on the bag and other times I can't go to sleep till late and then don't want to get up in the morning.

I see the same kind of cycles in others I know. I just thought I'd ask here because serious martial artists have always struck me as an exspecially driven group of people. What drives you?

[bushidomartialarts]

it's mostly my students who motivate me, and my peers in the art. when i feel unmotivated it's always them who keep me moving.

[stickarts]

My father instilled a never quit attitude in me early on, and since then mentors, peers, and students have helped that along.

[charyuop]

Might it be that you are thaking it way too seriously? I am not saying that MA is not serious, but many people have different goals. It might be that you set your goals higher than you are actually interested into.
Maybe your interest in MA is not a 100% in dojo and at home. It might be that what you do in the dojo is enough for your goals and pushing yourself beyond your goals makes so that you can't continue consistently.
Start it easy and don't overdo. Just like reading a book, 15 minutes before going to sleep. Go to the dojo and when you get out live your life.

Getting away the overwhelming feeling of overdoing will make so you will dicover again the fun in training...maybe in 6 months or a year you will find out that you are ready to face a more "full-time" training.

[tradrockrat]

I'll be completely honest with you. My motivation comes from commitment to others - I almost never carry through with commitment to myself. I'm just like you - by myself I've got about three weeks max in me before its back to ice cream, late nights, beer (Don't smoke though), etc. But if I'm meeting someone and teaching them or training with them, I absolutely refuse to let them down out of my basic lazyness. So my "secret" is to train with my wife or get a small group to train with.

My biggest issue is that I am not now nor have I even been a morning person - ever. Then ten years of bouncing and bartending just solidified it, so getting up to go to a real job in the mornings is next to impossible if I don't have a real good reason to get up.

The funny thing is that if i know somebody is waiting for me I absolutely HAVE to be there on time so i get up with no problems (Still half asleep and grumpy, but that's another thread ;) )

[zDom]

I don't want to lose my super powers :D

Seriously, I like the person I am as an active martial artist. Sometimes I don't want to get up and go to the dojang, but after a workout I am ALWAYS glad I went.

Missing a workout is a slippery slope. Missing one leads to missing a couple which leads to taking a couple weeks off which leads to "maybe I should take up martial arts again..."

And I don't want to be the guy who USED to do martial arts and dreams about getting back into it.

[loyalonehk]

My family! Plain and simple. I pray they never become victims. Training my self and pushing myself to be better prepared to protect them at any cost...

[still learning]

Hello, This may help you? came from a Time mangement class!

Make a list of all the things you need to do? Than make 3 columns...The A list, B list and C list.

A list is all the important things for you to do (ASAP). B. things that can wait or cannot be done now. and C list thing that can wait and is not as important like the above.

The KEY is learn to : DO IT NOW !!!!! ... when you get to your list!

Start with the A list: Do it as you can in order if possible when you first get home!!!!! work the list...don't turn onl the TV till you feel you have accomplish alot of the list.

Growing UP means doing things you need to do even if you do not like doing them. Learn to be MATURE!

It is very easy to do NOTHING and be LAZY.....anyone can do this!

Get off your butt ...work the list! before you know it ...you will have accomplish a lot of things.

Your modivation will change..because you will see the improvements in yourself.

BUT: it only works if you practice : DOING IT NOW!!!

Pretty soon you will find yourself training more often at home, getting more energy as time goes by...one day the TV will be thrown out. (note: Sent it to me OK)? ................Aloha

[green meanie]

I don't want to lose my super powers :D

Amen! http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif

[wade]

Live to ride, ride to live. Insert "train" in place of ride and there you have it.

[K' Evans]

I honestly have never found listening to another person's motivation to help me get pumped up and motivated. Also, I generally shun away from extrinsic motivation (e.g. the use of rewards, gifts) which is pretty prevalent in today's educational system, but rather prefer to employ intrinsic motivation to move myself. The problem is that there really is no magical solution as to how to spark off this sense of motivation.

The question is kinda funny to me, since when I first came into MT, my first post was about my doubts and feelings of demotivation in my martial arts. Nevertheless, I am still continuing my martial arts journey despite being confronted with so many distracting factors (e.g. I am too old, people around my age are already black belts in 3 or more arts, I get hit in the face all the time during sparring).

My only answer is that I have an image of myself (what psychologists call ought-ideal selves), and I know this is who I am. I don't have to be the next Bruce Lee, I don't have to execute every move flawlessly the first time I see it, and yes I get tired and pant like an ugly dog sometimes in my martial arts practice. But I then pick myself up again and say to myself, that even if I look like a damn fool, I am gonna keep at it and not let myself go.

I don't have any super powers, I don't think of my family in particular, and most of the ppl in my own life think I am a bit crazy for trying to pursue martial arts now. I don't smoke and drink though, but I could easily substitute the martial arts practice for something more relaxing and less intensive. So the truth is that it's the love for martial arts that also motivates me too. This passion springs from my own character, and it is a figure that we all have to carve and construct out of own bare hands. I really don't know any other way around this.

If you feel un-motivated to attend a class (as I have been sometimes out of fear), just go. I have learnt that usually, you will be glad that you have gone and your previous feelings of intimidation and laziness would have worn off. Always be proud of what you have done, even if you aren't perfect, cos nobody is.

[Shaderon]

My motivation to start was something different but my motivation to carry on and turn up every week, even though I know I won't be looked down on for it if I have a week off, is the fact that I want to be the best person I can possibly be, the result of the training, and sometimes the training itself is the motivation I need. I see the results almost daily, sometimes the day after a heavy training session I can see the improvement in myself, my techniques, my physique (yes even next day) and I always feel energised afterwards.

If I ever feel for a moment like ducking out, I remember how I used to be, I was a bit of a couch potato, although not overweight, I sat watching TV night after night satisfied to slump in a trance with rubbish in front of my eyes. Now if I'm watching TV I'm fidgity, I need to do something and quite often find myself going through patterns and terminology in my head, or falling asleep shattered because it's late and I've been training really hard.

I'm a different person and I don't want to go back to who I was, I don't like her. My motivation in short is to look in the mirror, see who I am now and not want to loose it. I love who I am.

[Drac]

Live to ride, ride to live. Insert "train" in place of ride and there you have it.

Wahhhhhh!!! :wah: I was gonna say that....

[CuongNhuka]

My origional reason was I needed something to do for self desciple (and perfection). That's still a major reason. But now it's also to show all the people who think I'm nothing, just what I am. I've also gotten anouther reaosn quite recently, the girl I have a crush on is Vietnamese. Just like Cuong Nhu. I can, hmm, show off to impress her http://martialtalk.com/forum/images/icons/icon10.gif. Doesn't work too well, but oh well.
I still train mostly to perfect myself.

[bookworm_cn317]

My instructor motivates me. I train to become as good as he knows I can be.

[Seeking Zen]

My Sensei rides me when I slack...this in itself gets me to the Dojo ...once I am there everything is fine.

[geocad]

My reinstilled motivation is actually a combination of a few already listed. I'm a father of two now so my motivation is:

1. To protect my family at all costs
2. to lead my family by my example,
3. to regain the person I used to be and once again feel good about myself,
4. and the friendly competition with myself and others.

I am that person that used to martial arts but now I'm back and more motivated than I ever was. I'm comfortable starting over in another style because I have matured but it's a work in progress. I'm not a martial artist, I'm a martial student and always will be.

[Xue Sheng]

To be entirely honest, I get my motivation today from one minor situation that occurred in China last year that actually turned out to be nothing more than curiosity.

[Langenschwert]

I get my motivation from my desire to teach. I would love to one day open up my own HES salle and do my small part to see that the Art regains some of the position it once had. If I can't do the techniques, I certainly can't teach them. Sometimes we run into "why don't you practice a real martial art?", by which they mean an Asian one. I find that rather galling, to be honest. To which I reply "you'll not find a Martial Art more real (whatever they mean by that) than this". It's archaic, but it's real, and effective. :)

So I get my motivation in that I have a chip on my shoulder, an axe to grind, and of course, a sword to swing. :)

Best regards,

-Mark

[INDYFIGHTER]

To be entirely honest, I get my motivation today from one minor situation that occurred in China last year that actually turned out to be nothing more than curiosity.

Love to hear more???

[RED]

You're on the rollercaoster training method also...? I go through slumps a few times a year. First thing I would recomend is to realise MA is a life style. Look at the big picture. If you have a week/month of no motivation, then start all over. Don't dwell on your slump. You have the rest of your life to train.
I used to set goals wanting the Black belt, but now I simply want to be the best I can be. My motivation come from a couple things. First I teell myself to "do something towards greatness today", everyday. I tell myself to give myself 15 mins. Thats all. NOTHING MORE. But once I do the fifteen minutes It just turns into a half hour which turns into an hour. But really commit to 15 minutes at 100%. I tell myself I'll go lightly at the gym and start out light, but then it usually turns into a great workout. I watch TV often. I tell myself to go through a pattern or two while the TV is on (usually during a commercial break). The next thing I know the Patterns are my focus and not the TV.
Hey we are all human. I give myself a cheat day. Usually Sundays. I drink beer, eat fast food, lay around the house and do NOTHING!
When I was younger I was motivated. Eagle scout, Tae Kwon Do, Habittat for Humanity, blah, blah, blah. As I got older I lost a lot of motivation. After my mother passed away (cancer from smoking) I gave myself these two expressions to life by:
"do something towards greatness today"
"get on with living or get on with dying"

Just my 2¥

good luck

[Adept]

Martial arts keeps me looking fit, which keeps the attention of the ladies!

Ah, but seriously, I'm in the same position as you, Indy. Train like a demon for a month, and then before you know it you're back to smoking and wasting time, and generally being a slob.

I haven't really found anything that works for me, because I'm still in the same cycle! I had meant to kick-start myself again this week, but work and illness have made that a non starter. Maybe next week.

Ah well, at least I've set a goal to stop smoking. July 1st.

[kidswarrior]

For me it's much like bushidomartialarts. When I got pretty seriously injured a couple of years ago, that caused me to switch to training/learning/growing in the arts through teaching classes instead of taking them. That was the only way I could control the number of over-the-shoulder-throws-by-the-neck and the like done by training partners, who may or may not care what the damage was to their partner (me). Now, there's no choice in whether I'll show up at class--I have to. If I don't, there is no class, and a lot of people who are counting on me are very disappointed. As the old saying goes, I ain't much, but I'm all we've got.

[FearlessFreep]

Zombies motivate me...