Motivation. Where does it come from? It comes from years of goal setting, and a personal desire to be the best you can be. Our coach told us this morning: "We set goals not with the intent to achieve them, but with the desire to BECOME the people who achieve those goals." Sure, it is great to get a personal best time. It is great to be the top swimmer in the lane. But the important part is the person you are. Who are you now that you have achieved this? What did you do to get there? You made choices. You were motivated enough to change yourself, change the way you think, and change the way you act, in order to reach the goal you had set for yourself.
When we swim, it is not always about beating your time. It is about how you beat it. What are you doing in the water? What is going on in your head? Ask yourself how good is 'good enough.' Ask yourself: what are you willing to do to achieve this goal?
They say each day is a new day, and it's true. You are never the same person day in and day out. Every day we learn something different, and we grow a little bit. We are in essence still the same person, but like mighty trees we grow tall, strong, and reach for the skies.
So where does motivation come in? It comes from within us. We find something we like, something we enjoy, and something we experience success in. We latch on to that feeling of success. We want so much to feel it again, we go looking for it. And so begins a great adventure. A swimmer will always remember their first ribbon. Their first trophy. The first time they win a race. They will remember the rush of excitement, and the pride they felt in that accomplishment. And they will spend the rest of their swimming career looking for that same feeling.
It is important to remember where we come from. A lot of days, we older swimmers get lost in the massive amount of yardage we do each day. We get bogged down in the pressures, and we lose sight of that end goal. It is in those times that we must pull ourselves out of the mire. Take a deep breath. Remember how it all started. Remember that first race you won. Let it remind you of why you started swimming in the first place.
So each day, ask yourself: why are you chasing these goals? What kind of a person do you want to be? Once you have those answers, start being that person. Start chasing those goals. We all lose hope at some point. Sometimes it takes a small step back to help you jump three steps forward.
So as you go about your day today, remember this: Motivation comes from within. Envision the person you once were when you started. Envision the person you want to become. See how much you've grown! See how far you've come! Could an ordinary person do that? No. It takes a special person to do what you did. It takes you. Don't stop being the person you set out to be just because it seems hard. The work you have put in has prepared you to take on whatever challenge is ahead. So stay motivated! Stay happy! And do your best!
