CHAPTER IX from Marti Soosaar’s e-book “A New Beginning”
Ask yourself why you are doing any of this in the first place. Maybe this chapter should have come first? But if we think of motivation as the sum of its parts, it fits perfectly here too.
If you haven’t seen Simon Sinek’s legendary TEDx talk recommending that you start with “why”, the video is still available on YouTube. The short version is that the more successful companies are the ones with a compelling answer to the question of why. Why should you buy a car, phone or laundry detergent made by them?
Deep down, you undoubtedly have an answer to why you are doing all this. Why do you want to be more active in the first place? Maybe your first answer isn’t the real one. If so, dig deeper.
I want to be more active. Why?
I could stand to weigh 15 kg less. Why?
When I look in the mirror, I feel that I don’t look good. Why do you want to look good?
I’m single and would like to find someone, but I don’t want just anyone. I’d also like that person to be athletic, so I should be more athletic myself. Okay, why do you want someone in your life?
I feel like that would make me happy.
At this point, it would probably be sensible to stop digging, unless you want to go on asking “why” like a five-year-old. The idea—and the path to reaching it—is probably clear. The real reason likely lies in the answer that it would make your life happier. Who doesn’t want to be happy? That is the ultimate goal.
Of course, everyone’s questions and answers will be different, but the underlying reason is probably much the same: to be much happier yourself.
Once you have thought these things through, your reasons will be much clearer to you. When you are wondering whether or not to work out, focus on that “why”. It may help you on a rainy day.
Like every coin, though, this has two sides. One workout may not bring us noticeably closer to our goal, even if it was hard work. If, after a few weeks, you still haven’t become noticeably slimmer, focusing only on your reason why can drive you out of your mind. Somehow, you still have to find a way to make the process enjoyable, because the good answers to your “why” questions may not come for months or even years.
This was Chapter Nine of Marti Soosaar’s e-book “A New Beginning”. We have also published the previous chapters, which you can read on our blog. You can download the full e-book HERE.
If you have now figured out what your “why” is and decided that it is time to get moving, choose a workout HERE.
