First… a huge Thank You to everyone for a successful 2017 Jani-Ro! Feels good to do good for others!
Second… I would like to point something out about inspiration and motivation, because I have had several experiences as a coach, athlete and father that are great examples of each.
One thing I have learned is that some people fear the lack of motivation, and therefore train themselves to denounce it, and label it for the weak-minded or those who lack self discipline. I have had clients actually tell me, "I don't need you to motivate me… please don't go there!" And honestly, that is tough to take as a coach! But the truth is they do need me to hold them accountable, keep them safe, and provide them with the guidance to reach their goals. Just hiring me and showing up to workout is enough to show me that you need a bit of motivation… so those clients aren't fooling me! My guess is that at some point in their life, motivation wasn't there, and they felt the let-down and couldn't muster up internal inspiration to complete a task successfully. Defeat sucks… and if this happens to some people, they start to poke fun at the motivators, and scoff at the idea that inspiration affects performance.
In my honest opinion, this all ties back into knowing "what's your why?"… because ideally and realistically, that is your true inspiration… providing plenty of motivation to move towards a goal!
In the previous post, I have given an example from my days as a competitive high school/college athlete. As a "CrossFitter" in my 30's and 40's, I have two specific examples I would like to relay to you. One of my first competitions in CrossFit took place in a back alley in NY, in the winter… training on pieces of cardboard so we didn't get beat up from the broken glass and bottle caps… competition was called FrostBite! The workouts were challenging enough… being outside in NY in February, in a back alley made them mentally tougher! Mike McKenna was there, who at the time, was kind of a local CrossFit celebrity athlete. He wasn't competing, he was just there to watch some of his friends compete. The third workout was designed to go through wall balls, power cleans and burpees in two segments… the workout was time capped, and the goal was to hit a fixed number of reps for wall balls and burpees, and accumulate power cleans as a score… if the fixed reps weren't met, your power cleans didn't count! This was a tough task because the power cleans where sandwiched between the wall balls and burpees. If you didn't finish those burpees in the second segment, you were busted!! Long story short… I was into my burpees on the second segment, and I was struggling. As I was on the ground contemplating my next burpee, and making deals with myself about the outcome, I noticed a pair of sneakers right in front of me… it was Mike McKenna. He said nothing… and as I stood up from the wet cardboard we made eye contact. Every burpee I could see his sneakers, as if he was standing closer and closer to me. Still, he said nothing… but knowing he was there made me move faster, and I finished the burpees under the time cap. The power of presence! The back story is that I knew Mike, and he knew me… mere acquaintances. But I knew what he was about, and he needn't say a word to me to help me move faster! I can still see those damn sneakers!!
My second "CrossFitter" example is about people in my life, and knowing my why. I often train alone, and when I do, I convince myself that my wife and kids are watching… and I need to follow through, uphold the highest of standards, and do the right thing. When I get to train with the group, again, I know people are watching… and that motivates me to stay true to who I am, and my purpose as a coach and athlete.
My next example with more family oriented. My youngest daughter participated in swim this past summer. It was her first time swimming competitively, and she excelled! There were many swim meets that I missed due to work, but I got to as many as I could… one of which was a meet where she needed to swim a certain time for freestyle in order to qualify for championships. Freestyle was Caitlyn's slowest stroke… she consistently swam 19 to 21 seconds all summer, but needed to be in the 18's to qualify. She was motivated by that number of 18 seconds! As she stood on the block, we made a little eye contact and I gave her the nod! That kid looked like she got shot out of a cannon, and swam in the 18's… and qualified for championships! As I walked back to our chairs, I looked back to the pool and she was gone. Before I could turn around to look for her, I got attacked with a huge, wet hug and total excitement! It was a very proud and fulfilling moment… the power of presence… and a great example of motivation!
We go through life, and many times are unaware of how we can influence others, and the universe, in a very positive way! Jani-Ro is just a small example of that, but extremely powerful. I don't believe that words can describe what that event does for Janice and Ro… but I can tell during the hugs at the end that words aren't necessary.
One of the hardest parts of Jani-Ro is the speech. I have so much to say, but never quite sure how to say it. Cancer, in any form, just sucks… it totally sucks. But when you get a group of people together with love in their hearts, it makes a difference in people's lives… people we don't even know!
I guess my final message would be to never underestimate the power of your presence… don't be quick to dismiss the feeling of inspiration… and motivation is never a sign of weakness. Love makes a difference my friends… it makes a huge difference!
Thanks for listening… feel free to share in comments if you wish!
Well said. Thanks for sharing.