What motivates you?

[Patrick]

What sort of things motivate you? What do you do when you're feeling stuck?

[bushido_man96]

I just try to push through. I think about how my dad always taught me to work hard, and try to feed off that at times.

[tallgeese]

I guess it's different for each little compartment of my life.

For ma's there are a couple of big motiviators. The main one is work. Being a cop, I'm one that tries to hang on to the theory that we loose the right to be couch potatos once we sign on. That, and fighing with drunk idiots every now and again keeps me highly motivated to keep training. Competition or coaching others for it, comes in a distant second. Even then, it's only good off and on since I quit doing it frequently years ago.

I also have a backburner (thanks to kids and such) hobby of climbing. I can really get motiviated short term when an outing is coming up and I find a really good line that I want to climb, or a summit I want to take. Pictures go up all over my workout area and goofy stuff like that.

Just a couple of things. Now, my wife probibly wonders why I can't get motivated to just take the garbage out

[JoiH]

I am motivated by my love for my art. I love the history, I love the moves, I love the Katas and I love how I feel when I train. When I get stuck I am motivated by my daughter. She is going to be very pretty- I need to keep sharp so I can beat up all of her potential boyfriends!

[Patrick]

Funny. Thanks for sharing.

I guess different things motivate me, too. One thing that motivates me a lot is music.

[JoiH]

Patrick

I agree. Music while training can really be a motivator. The right kind can pump you up and make the training much more intense.

[Shotokan-kez]

Good question, since i am really struggling at the moment. I am in a rut right now and usually the things that motivate me are my children and karate, even that though i am finding hard.

[sperki]

Without currently practicing a MA this is a sort of broad response. But stay motivated by 1. variety, 2. competing, 3. wanting to be smarter, stronger, faster, better.

I just ran a half marathon last weekend. I didn't set any records, but I know where I can improve next year. Every summer I compete in several triathlons, so I train for a variety of exercises. I play soccer, where my team is counting on me to be proficient and fit enough to hold my own (I bet the LEO's on here find a similar situation at work). And I'm pursuing a career in firefighting, so I need to be fit enough to do well on the tests for all of the local FD's.