Everyday Athletes of Louisville, personal trainer Chance Cianciola shares his thoughts on motivation.

I recently downloaded a book on motivation and it is a collection of thoughts from different coaches all over the country about motivation. It made me think about motivation and how I perceive it. Everyone is motivated differently. Some people are motivated by competition while others are motivated by how they look. However it may be, we all need to find what motivates us and use it to its fullest. I know for me, motivation roots from a need to be better. Everyday I strive to be better than I was the day before. This may not happen every day but the thought is what keeps me pushing forward. Whether it be in the gym, with my nutrition, in terms of knowledge, or even relationships, I try to improve every day and that competition with my self from the past is what motivates me.

Motivation can do some amazing things. We can create the best plan in the world to reach our goals, but if there is no motivation behind it then we will never make it. Sit back and think about what motivates you. Use inspirational quotes or videos each day to give you a needed push forward. Write down goals, set benchmarks, or have a friend or two around to help you achieve. Whatever inspires you to be the best YOU will be the secret to success. If you can figure out how to most effectively motivate yourself and implement that into your daily routine, nothing will stop you from succeeding. However, if you cannot fully commit yourself to a goal, then don’t even waste your time because commitment to a goal is a precursor to motivation. You have to want something in order to achieve it. Don’t do it because someone else wants you to, do it because YOU want to.

I give you a challenge: Sit down and write out your goals. Whether they be physical, mental, or even spiritual, write them out with detail. From there, write down action steps to reach those goals. Now figure out what motivates you and make sure you use that for each action step along the way. I can promise you that if your goals are what you truly want, and you can figure out what motivates you the best, you will have no problem succeeding.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”  – Aristotle