Motivation vs. Dedication
We’ve all heard the terms ‘motivation’ and ‘dedication’ before, but it’s particularly important to understand the difference between both of these, and how to deal with them as we encounter them over the course of our powerlifting careers. Motivation can be defined as a reason (or reasons) to act in a particular way. For example, you miss your third squat because you simply weren’t strong enough on the day, it triggers an inner desire to get stronger in squats. You’re motivated to get back training and give the training block everything you have so that when the next competition comes around, you’re not missing that third attempt! Dedication on the other hand is the willingness to give a lot of time and effort to something because it is important. Ever have those training days where you just weren’t feeling it but you went to the gym anyway to get the work done? Congrats, that was a display of dedication! So really what separates motivation from dedication is simply action, actually going out there and doing what it takes to achieve your goal.
Let me briefly touch on the different types of motivation which exist. It’s important to understand these different types so that it can help you realize what motivates you, and how you can go about maintaining that motivation. The two types of motivation are intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. You are considered to be intrinsically motivated, when internal factors are what encourage you to act in a certain way. For example, if you get personal enjoyment out of how powerlifting (or anything else) makes you feel, and continue to do it because of how it makes you feel, then you are intrinsically motivated. Extrinsic motivation is the opposite. You are considered to be extrinsically motivated if external factors motivate you such as a reward. An example of this in a powerlifting sense might be chasing that national record or a medal at an international competition. Neither one is more important than the other in order to succeed. What is important is knowing which category you may fall under. That way you’ll be better placed to focus on internal/external factors as a means of maintaining your motivation to achieve something and really maximise your chances of success.
Now, dedication and motivation go hand in hand, they’re the ying and yang to success. Let’s say your goal is to add 50kg to your total at your next competition, you’ve envisioned it in your head, and you’ve wrote the numbers down and expressed your goal to your coach. All that shows you’re highly motivated to achieve that goal you’ve set. Now you need to follow through and put in the work necessary to actually make the magic happen. You make sacrifices, get up early, train for hours etc. that’s dedication, that’s the driving force between your goal just being a goal, and your goal actually becoming your reality.
I’ll be the first person to admit that maintaining motivation can be difficult, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic we currently find ourselves in. Our routines have been interrupted, our goals might have been changed, and certainly our means of achieving those goals have been largely impacted with lockdown measures. Despite all this, your goal can remain your goal if you’re open to some change, it may take a little longer than planned, or you may need to change your plan, but it is still within reach so don’t give up, keep the goal the goal. Here’s some tips to help you stay motivated if you find that this is something you’re currently struggling with:
Remember your Why
This is something that gets thrown around a lot when discussing motivation and dedication, and that’s because it’s one of the most important factors in staying motivated. Don’t lose sight of why you started the journey, remember what it was that made you want to take the step in the first place. Right it down, put it somewhere visible to you so it’s a reminder of what lit the fire in your belly in the first place.
Don’t be afraid to try something new
Be open to change. If what you’re doing currently isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change it up. If you do what you always did, you’ll get what you always got. It can be scary breaking out of our comfort zones, but nothing good ever came from a comfort zone. A change of direction can help with motivation by breaking the monotony of routine and stimulating us emotionally.
Don’t compare yourself to others
Comparison is the thief of joy. Far too often I see people comparing their progress to someone else’s, and then getting bogged down because they haven’t progressed as quickly as the other person. With social media it’s very easy to fall into this trap. Rather than comparing yourself to others and getting bogged down because you’re, for example, not as strong as them, use it as motivation to want to get stronger, let it be your driving force. The difference in those two mentalities is key to long term success.
Track your Progress
Tracking your progress can serve as an excellent reminder of the progress you’ve made to date and encourage you to keep going. It can help you remain focused on the goal, and what you need to do to get there. Tracking your progress can also highlight some possible obstacles and identify any room for improvement so it can play a huge role in your strategy. Once you start to see progress, your confidence grows as you can see that what you’re doing is obviously working, so you feel more motivated to keep going. Remember people who track stay on track!
Visualisation
I’m a big fan of visualisation. Vision boards are my go to for writing down my goals and hanging pictures of something that inspires and motivates me. A vision board can help you map out your goals and act as a visual representation of why you started, why you’ve kept going this whole time, and what you hope to look/feel like when you’ve achieved that goal. If your goal is to deadlift 200kg, and you visualise yourself in competition lifting that weight, everything from the music playing, to the crowd, to the chalk on your hands and baby powder on your legs. You visualise how heavy it’ll feel in your hands, but also how quickly it moved off the floor, passed your knees, locking it out and then getting your down command. Visualising that over and over until the day of the competition, come competition day, you’ve already done this lift 1,000 times in your head, so what’s one more rep? Visualisation is a powerful tool and learning to harness it is a strength every athlete can benefit from.
To conclude I’d like to finish with a quote from Muhammod Ali which I think perfectly sums up everything we’ve talked about: “Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be greater than the skill”.