After being in this industry for as long as I have, it’s always fascinated me how it can be that two different people, with relatively similar circumstances, goals and aspirations can come out with two completely different results.
On the surface of it, there shouldn’t be any reason why these two individuals can’t achieve the same level of results. However, so very often there are some that achieve great things and some that fall at the first hurdle.
For me, this comes down to the ‘why’. Why do you want to achieve the goal? Those of you that don’t have a powerful enough ‘why’ will always fall at the first hurdle. The reality is you simply don’t care enough about the goal you’ve set to see it through and do what’s required every single day to get there.
Those that do have a powerful ‘why’ normally will do whatever is necessary to get where they want to be. They are deeply intrinsically motivated and will do whatever it takes to achieve the goal they’ve set out for.
Before we look at finding your why, however, we need to find out exactly what you want to achieve.
Deciding The Goal
Deciding the goal is something you should think very carefully about. Don’t pick a goal that seems cool on Instagram or that your mates are all doing – pick something YOU want to achieve. Whether that’s building mass, getting leaner, competing in a triathlon or climbing mount fucking Everest, it doesn’t matter – as long as it’s important to you.
Set the goal in stone and make a concrete plan as to how you’re going to achieve it. Step by step reverse engineer the goal from the point of achievement, right back through the steps required to get there. Whether that’s setting up and adhering to diet and training plans, getting out in the morning to do cardio, getting the right amount of sleep, drinking and eating takeaways less – whatever it is, you need to be clear on what’s required of you before you embark on this journey.
Write it down, get it into your head that this is what’s necessary and what is required of you every single day if you’re going to achieve your goal.
Finding Your Why
So now we have a goal, this is the part most people skip (and as a result, the reason most people fail). But please – if you take anything away from this article take this:
If your why is not powerful enough – or if you don’t have one, your chances of success diminish massively.
By ‘why’ what I mean is your reasoning for choosing your goal. If you’ve chosen the goal of getting leaner and losing body fat that’s cool – but WHY? Is it because you’re sick of hiding your body behind hoodies and baggy t-shirts and you wouldn’t mind feeling good about whipping your top off round the pool on holiday?
Is it because you want to get fitter so you can play football with the lads and not be gassed after 5 minutes? So you can walk up a flight of stairs without feeling like cardiac arrest is imminent?
It doesn’t matter what your why is as long as it matters to you.
My why originally was that I was a skinny, spotty, 16 year old kid that had zero female attention in school, was always bullied off the ball when I played 6-a-side and generally had super low self-esteem. The gym was a place for me to channel my energy and challenge myself to become better, fitter, stronger, more physically able. It didn’t necessarily make me a better person, but it did make me a more confident person. For a short time, it gave me a much needed ‘identity’. I was very happy to be known as the ‘gym guy’. The one in a group of lads that everyone considered ‘stacked’ (even though I wasn’t, just by teenage standards I was).
That was my why. Nowadays my why is much more closely connected to my work. I want to take my body to extremes to prove to YOU that average guys with shitty genetics can achieve great things. When I compete in my drug tested shows next year that will be at the forefront of my mind all the way through prep. I’m doing this to prove to every 16 year old spotty kid with low self esteem that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. It doesn’t have to be a bodybuilding show, it can be whatever you want. But that’s the point – my why is to show you that you CAN do it.
So that’s me. Maybe a bit strange to others but that’s the shit that gets me through those dark days where I don’t want to do the necessary. That’s the reason I have to carry on, keep going and be disciplined to get the work done. That’s why I’m achieving what I want to achieve and hopefully will continue to achieve long into the future.
That’s not a brag, it’s just reality. My why is powerful enough to me that I actually give a shit about my goals and I won’t stray off course at the first opportunity. Take some inspiration from that and find your own why – your own reason to give enough of a shit about your goals to stick to them.
Wrapping Up
I hope that was useful and gave you some insight as to how to see your goals through past that initial ‘motivation’ phase. It’s easy to be motivated for the first few weeks of a new goal. The difficult part is maintaining the work ethic when the motivation has long gone. That’s discipline – and it comes from having a powerful why.
If you found this useful, please check out my other blogs over on the blog section.
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Cheers
Andy
