Motivation: It's What's For Dinner

The concept of motivation has been popping up frequently in my daily walk, so I'd like to take a moment and talk about it.

First off, let me lay this out:  Motivation must be intrinsic.  That is, it MUST come from WITHIN the individual (emphasis, obviously, mine).

I am a teacher, and thus often hear about the need to "motivate the students to succeed" in my classroom.  Honestly, I don't know if I do this, or if I do, I don't know what I do to motivate them.  The phrase "The beatings will continue until morale improves" springs to mind, but of course, corporal punishment is banned, so....  I can provide clear instruction, clear guidelines, clear consequences, but ultimately, the DESIRE to do work lies within each student entrusted to my care.  I try my best to help them make the "right" choices, but the choices are, in the end, THEIRS, not mine.

It's also why I'm working my hardest to NOT live vicariously through the lives of my children; I've told them, "I already went to school.  This is YOUR education to grab!" or "Hey, I played my sport already.  This is YOUR time to shine!"  Of course, that means allowing them to choose their own paths, but hopefully, in so doing, they find their own motivation to succeed.

I also see this waning and waxing of motivation in my exercise routine.  The most convenient time for me to exercise is immediately after my school day ends.  However, this time of day coincides with the nadir of my motivation and energy levels.  Some days, I can literally feel the energy leeching out of my body, as if I'm morphing into the Nazi officer from Raiders of the Lost Ark.  My wife, sensing that I need support, (usually because I say something puerile like "Tell me to go work out") will say, "You're a grown man. Do what you want."  (EVERY SINGLE WOMAN reading this knows, to the decibel, the pitch and tone of voice used in that quote.)

As counter-intuitive as that sounds, it's also EXACTLY what I need to hear.  

I don't need to exercise because the Men's Health Urbanathlon is only 5 weeks away (HOLY CRAP!!!); I don't need to exercise because my wife tells me to go; I don't need to exercise because some extrinsic force is acting upon my psyche.  

I WANT to exercise.  I WANT to be a positive role model in the lives of my children.  I WANT to show my students that fitness is a worthy lifelong goal.  I WANT to cross whatever finish line is in front of me, head held high.  

And then, I want to look back at the journey, smile, and raise a glass to the guy who hauled himself off the couch on a nameless Tuesday and ground out his workout, on a day where he was running on fumes and had every excuse lined up like planes at O'Hare.

INTRINSIC MOTIVATION:  It's what's for dinner, and what makes me skip dessert.

Until next time,

Tom

2T4:7