Preparation is Over, We Must Act – Motivation Part 2

If you haven’t already, head to Part 1 – Staying Endlessly Motivated – Preparation and give it a read. Otherwise diving into this will be a waste of your time, each step is part of a process, just as your foot plants on the ground, connecting to your hip and torso, generating power at the end of your hand; if there is a disconnect, if you skip one part, you will lack power, efficiency, and speed. In the end you overextend. It all becomes ineffective. Part 1 and 2 are all about building resilience. 

(For a closer look at this article, click here to listen to the podcast with Sean Fagan and I – Stay Motivated When Driving!)

After reading each point of preparation you are ready to take action. These are tactics you will use during the active time of training to stay motivated, to keep the fire going or when you simply need a pick-me-up.

5. Consistency and Dedication

Relying on will each and everyday is exhausting. It destroys motivation. The best way to avoid this mistake is to dedicate yourself to an idea, a goal, or task. To create a regimen of resiliency.

Dedication – the quality of being persistent or committed to a task or purpose

Fortunately after reading Part One – Endless Motivation, you found your WHY – Your purpose. It sounds easier than done, but dedicating yourself is a choice. At one point or another you choose to become someone, this creates a shift in the universe.

I came to a crossroad two years ago. I had the choice of contining in the medical field, that meant committing myself to becoming that person, or.. I could have completely changed my life and its purpose by chasing my dream as a combat athlete and coach. Both choices create a different lifestyle, different relationships, different outcomes, a completely different person.

Dedicate yourself to the person you want to become and the goal you have. The rest aligns itself if it is done with purpose, every action and decision is shaped around this purpose. But, the key to this is consistency. It cannot be a phase, it cannot be something you have a plan B, C, and D for if it doesn’t happen. You must create a regimen shaped around what you are training to become and not the other way around. Regimentation takes away any guess work, it’s a blueprint for your success.

Successful athletes and dedicated professionals look at their one goal as if there is no other choice. “I will lose this weight”, “I will create a successful business model”, and in my case, “I will become not only a great fighter, but one of the greats.” There is no plan C to focus on because even 10% of your efforts going to that plan take away the chance of achieving the main goal.

Dedicate yourself to who you want to become, and be consistent at it. Day in and day out. Despite all odds.

6. Motivational Aids

Motivation is most effective when it comes from deep within. Each point thus far has forced you to look for it within yourself. However, there come days where we just need a nudge. Your training partners who hold you accountable are not around and you know you need to get to training, but you need a pick-me-up.

You must find a go to aid. The key point to any motivational aid is – emotionally connected moments. You must be INVESTED emotionally whether it is a video, a song or memory that is used as your aid.  Many athletes use memories from the childhood such as being bullied, growing up poor or being physically abused as their motivational aid.

For example, George St. Pierre started an anti-bullying foundation. His days of being bullied as a younger kid have led him to become one of the most cerebral champions to grace the octagon. He used negative memories in the past to turn into motivation, he never wanted to feel helpless again.

The typical boxer’s story. You don’t hear stories of champions that grew up in a rich Connecticut neighborhood. Most successful boxers grow up poor, they use boxing as an escape. Opportunity creates motivation and hope. Challenges and barriers are motivation themselves.

If you don’t have a moment that you can pinpoint to, a moment in your life that had you on a roller coaster of emotions which you don’t want to feel again. I suggest you dig deeper and ask questions again, go back to your WHY or be influenced by others. Not all of us come from poverty, but many of us know stories that inspire us. Motivational videos, songs you connect with, movies in which you can picture yourself as the lead role. Use these to your advantage, as a pick-me-up before your next training session.

7. Physical and Mental Recovery

I won’t sugar coat things. People either ignore recovery or they take it way too far. Neither is effective… it is a balance. You don’t need a day off every time you have a hard work out, but sitting on the couch and letting the blood clot up in your legs isn’t the most efficient way of recovering either. With that said, active recovery is efficient in keeping you sharp, stimulated, but refreshed for the next day. Here are the top methods of efficiently recovering your body & mind:

Yoga and Stretching
Mobility Exercises
Massage
Meditation and Breathing Exercises
Sauna and Hot Tub
Restful Sleep (7-8 Hours+)*
Shadowboxing
Epsom Salt Baths
Play

The main point of recovery is to come back stronger. This means from a day off. From a day of active recovery or even taking two months off from an injury.

There are those who take their time off to defeat themselves mentally, and then there are those who train their mental will, who build motivation to come back stronger than before.

Photo of Sean Fagan to the right. After facing a number of injuries Sean continued to pursue greatness in Muay Thai. Breaking his arm in the early rounds of a Championship bout, Sean battled on to a five round decision win, modeling an inspirational story for the followers of Muay-Thai-Guy.com

Conclusion

Again… Motivation is energy. Energy is neither created nor destroyed, so that means we have to find ways of tapping into it. We begin this process by preparing our body, mind, and environment. We continue this process by taking action and creating a resilient regiment. However, every process has its set of challenges and obstacles, that’s where we dive into Part 3 – Re-Action.

Prepare -> Act -> Re-Act

Paul Banasiak is a Muay Thai fighter/addict, 6x champion, trainer, and fitness professional. After leaving medical school without looking back, he decided to fully follow his passion of helping others become the best version of themselves, creating MuayThaiAthlete.com. A website for those who are already passionate individuals that want to take their life&training to the next level. 

Today we begin forging our bodies and
strengthening our minds.

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