Reprinted
article by Douglas B. Sharples
Exactly how
does an athlete go about motivating themselves? How can they bring out
this internal, personalized, individual motivation so necessary for
athletic success? Where should they begin? Here are some suggestions:
1. Set a
definite, realistic goal, with a deadline for its achievement. When it
is reached, set another goal-one that is beyond your current grasp,
but not yet beyond your reach. Identify short range goals, leading to
long range goals which lead to long range objectives. Make certain
that the immediate and long-term goals are exact and most important
measurable. Broad, vague, and indefinite goals are not helpful or
effective. Record these specific long-range and short-term goals and
deadlines, and review them daily.
2. Use
positive imagination. Nothing is so depressing as a conviction that
one is not a hero. Imagine yourself as already having achieved your
goals. A person always acts, feels, and performs according to what
they imagine to be true about themselves and there surroundings. Your
mental picture of yourself may be the strongest force within you, as
people tend to become precisely what they imagine themselves to be.
3. List all
the problems, difficulties, and obstructions between yourself and your
goals. Then write out a specific, day-by-day, week-by-week,
month-by-month, step-by-step plan of action for overcoming each
barrier. Advice on your plan and its details may be sought from your
coach. Remember, they have been up against these problems many times,
and their experience can often be helpful. Finally establish deadlines
for the execution of this step-by-step plan.
4. Develop
an indomitable craving, ambition, zeal and desire to reach your goal
through the carrying out of this action plan. You may find out how
much desire you have to reach your goals by answering two
all-important questions:
(a) What
are the rewards for attaining my goals?
(b) Is it
worth it to me to achieve these goals?
If after
identifying your rewards for goal attainment, you feel it is
worthwhile and important to you to achieve your goals, then you know
you have authentic desire to succeed. But if the rewards for goal
accomplishment aren't worth the effort to you, then you can't be
motivated on the basis of these goals, and you should try to establish
new goals which are worth your achieving.
5. Maintain
unshakable faith in yourself and your ability to achieve your goals
through execution of this step-by-step action plan.
6. Develop
an iron-willed determination which will blast any roadblock from your
path and overcome any setback to achieving your goals. Follow through
with your step-by-step plan, regardless of circumstances, obstacles,
or the opinions of others about your goal directed behavior.
7. Avoid a
negative mental attitude. Don't even associate with negative people.
Stay away from those who oppose your goal- directed behavior. Making
uncomplimentary remarks causes others to think less of you and it
lowers your own self-respect. Complaining, moaning, groaning, and
grumbling are characteristics of losers.
8. Develop
a positive mental attitude. Say only positive things about others. If
you can't say something positive than don't say it. Compliment others
regularly, no matter how difficult you may find it. There's good in
everything, even if it's nothing more than a horrible example of what
not to do. Think only in positive terms. Never tolerate the thought
of ultimate defeat. Develop an enthusiastic, go-go-go,
it-can-be-done, do-it-now, affirmative, effervescent personality.
Nobody likes a sourpuss, nobody likes a grouch and nobody likes an
unpleasant, nasty personality. So develop a positive mental attitude
and a pleasant personality as stepping-stones along the path to
success. This positive approach will serve as your foundation to
athletic achievement.
9. Pay
strict attention to self-discipline. Remember, you can't have your
cake and eat it too! There's a price on everything, including
success. Part of the price of success is hard work and clean living.
10. Budget
your time. Time is a valuable commodity, especially in athletics.
Don't waste it on worthless, superfluous, piddling projects. Don't
throw away your time by goofing-off, loafing, procrastination or
playing around. Direct your time and efforts toward executing your
step-by-step action plan which leads to achieving your goals.
11.
Learn from defeat or temporary failure. Remember, anyone who is
undefeated has never met strong opposition. Temporary setbacks can
often be valuable teachers.
12. Be
enthusiastic by developing your own enthusiasm. Human emotions are
not immediately subject to reason, but they are immediately subject to
action. The action can be either physical or mental. A thought can
be just as stimulating and effective as a deed in changing an emotion
from negative to positive. In such a case, the act, either physical
or mental, precedes the emotion. Here's how to create your own
enthusiasm:
To be
enthusiastic, ACT enthusiastic. The secret is to ACT.
To be
sleepy, ACT sleepy. The secret is to ACT.
To be
happy, ACT happy. The secret is to ACT.
To be
melancholy, ACT melancholy. The key is to ACT.
13.
Develop personal self-motivators. Here are a few. When it's
difficult to get out of bed in the morning, repeat this self-starter
25 times:
"I feel
healthy, I feel happy, I feel terrific!" When it comes time to
perform a task such as training, repeat this self-starter 25 times:
"Do-it now,
do-it-now, do-it-now,": etc.
Talk
yourself into becoming a better athlete, don't talk yourself out of
training.
