Be Inspired: Creating Your Own Motivation

I have a post from a while ago with some of my favourite motivational/inspirational pictures and videos; what I didn’t realize is there is motivation around me, all the time!  April 14^th I attended the 2012-GNC Festival City Stratford Championships with Sandra and Sheryl to cheer on friends and get a firsthand look at what the world of competing is all about!  It was a fun evening and I learned a lot; mainly that motivation is everywhere… You just have to look for it.  That may sound like a weird thing to walk away from the event with, but I was so inspired by the men and women competing, it’s all I could focus on!  I left the event with my mind made up: I was going to look at the world and find at least one thing that motivates me each and every day.  It can be looking at motivational picture quotes on the internet or talking to people at the gym who I am motivated by and others who I can motivate. 

I believe that if you GIVE someone what you NEED; you have in fact planted a seed.  This will allow you to reap the benefits later on!  I talked to a new member and she was quite nervous about participating in a class and it made me remember my first day at the gym.  I thought for SURE I was going to stick out like a sore thumb because I thought only athletes trained there.  But World Gym is filled with people of all different ages, shapes, and sizes!  After talking to her for a few moments she said, “OK I think I’m ready to go in there now… thank you!”  It felt great to help someone!  A few days later I received a really nice compliment and that pushed me to train harder!  (Compliment = Motivation!)

Motivation can be found anywhere; you just have to open yourself up to seeing it.  I was always the kind of person that needed a push, mainly because I was scared to try for fear of failing.  Nonetheless, I’ve come to understand that you need to be your own source of motivation and inspiration.  You can’t expect it from other people all of the time.  Once I realized that, I was able to fill myself with more motivation and inspiration than I knew what to do with! 

Another great way to keep yourself motivated is by creating a Dream Board or a Vision Board.  You can include goals, pictures of people that inspire you, quotes that lift you up, and so much more!  Then you have everything you need in one place.  Keep your board in a place that you can easily access when you need a little boost.  Maybe you aren’t seeing any results at the gym (things ARE working, it just takes a little time for things to show up sometimes) and you are getting frustrated… or maybe squats are really challenging for you (insert whatever you find challenging here…) and you don’t know if you will EVER get any better at it (you will, trust me!)… You can refer back to your Vision Board and look at the picture of the body you want to have and are getting CLOSER to having with each and every workout! 

Believe me; I need a lot of inspiration to say no to the cheesecake… So I know a thing or two about this topic!  I promise you that you will feel so GOOD and so PROUD of yourself when you are filled with motivation and your feet hurt from kicking so much @$$ ;)

So get out there and start flipping through magazines and cutting out pictures or quotes!  Start motivating others and helping them achieve their goals!  And as cliché as it sounds, stop and smell the roses… You might just find yourself inspired by something beautiful :)

Kayla