Motivation

Whether you want to lose weight, put on muscle, or generally look better, there's always the issue of motivation. Sometimes you'll genuinely want to make the change lack a sufficient drive to do it (or to continue doing it). That is when you need some motivation. There are two basic types of motivation: external (extrinsic) and internal (intrinsic).

External motivation is what gets you started and what gets the ball rolling. Inspirational pictures, videos, success stories, quotes, et cetera. It works well, but it it ultimately increases your desire instead of your drive. Thankfully, though, they are connected.

Courage Wolf is awesome. This picture was actually my desktop background for a while.

Searching for "body transformation" on YouTube is usually pretty damn awesome. However, in the long run, WHATEVER YOU DO, JUST DON'T DO THIS. Interestingly enough, though, there is a trainer who did the exact opposite (make sure to read the points at the end of the article too; they're good).

There are countless more inspirational videos out there, and instead of doing some Google searching you could do yourself, I'll just show you one of my favorites: "How Bad Do You Want It?"

Internal motivation (r/GetMotivated is a nice bridge between the two) is the drive that keeps you going. Since internal motivation is determined by your own mind, you have to generate it yourself, and no amount of inspirational pictures will keep you going to the gym when you simply don't want to. Usually, seeing results is a huge boost for internal motivation. Before long, you'll have momentum on your side and dedication should follow naturally, so thankfully you won't need to be intensely motivated all the time.

What it means

Think of it this way: external motivation will get you to the gym; internal motivation will enable you to push yourself and work hard. External motivation is what gets you started on a run; internal motivation is what keeps you going and prevents you from giving up prematurely. A problem that a lot of people have is not being able to either generate internal motivation or internalize motivation that was originally extrinsic. In fact, it is very doable and does not require the willpower of a Buddhist monk. You just have to seek it out, and come to terms with the fact that if you really want something, you have to make it happen. Nothing worthwhile in life comes freely.

Just in case you're a visual learner.

The takeaway message is this: motivation is not something that some people are simply gifted with and others are not. You have the ability to find your own if you truly want to meet your goals but have trouble fulfilling them.