Why do you do it?
I was listening to a James smith podcast with Ross Edgley this morning when I was on a walk (I never walk, but might start, great thinking time) and they were talking about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. I found it very interesting because It made me realise that I can have an extrinsic way of thinking when it comes to exercise and work. Have a read of the example they gave and tell me what you think...
Their example was - imagine being on the start line to a 100m sprint, the guy to your left is a guy who LOVES running, and is motivated by the sheer enjoyment and want, to run (intrinsic)
The guy to your right is there for the prize money, he’s motivated by the pay packet you get and the money you can earn. (extrinsic) Who are you more threatened by?
The intrinsic guy of course, the guy on the left! He has nothing to lose, he doesn’t care what the result is, he just loves running and will continue to run despite winning or losing.
The extrinsic character always has something to lose, whether it be reputation, prize money, or career if he gets injured. And It made me think about why I exercise and why I do what I do. 90% of the time I work, say and act as me, Josh Dowson, a thought or idea comes into my head and I do it. However every now and then, the 10% comes out, I compare myself to others and the way they work, deal with situations and how they train. And I think that's how I must do it, so I can be better than them! But that's not how it should be, as you aren't doing it for the right reasons, You're doing it to get one up on them or be better than them. I guess my point is, do it because YOU want to do it. Intrinsically motivated people enjoy exercise and work so much more and are generally much happier because they don’t necessarily care, they just love it!
And that’s what you need to find. Find something you really enjoy doing, and do it FOR YOU. Not to ‘look good’ or ‘fit in’ with everyone else.
Nobody likes a 🐑
