I sent a message which went as follows:
"Hey hey! I'm doing a blog post on strengths and motivation and I wanted to do a survey on some of my friends. If you're not comfortable, it's ok .. cause it will be posted. So ... motivate me!!I will be mentioning first names but NOT last names. So, What do you think is YOUR biggest strength?What keeps YOU motivated to stay healthy?"
Very general, I know. It could have been taken in many ways but that's fine, because I loved the responses and different perspectives.
I won't give last names to keep it mysterious (dun dun dunn) though I'm sure you'll all have a pretty decent idea of who they are (some). And as much as I'd love to tag them on Facebook, since Facebook is like .. sooo popular and sh!t .. I'll avoid doing that also.
So, the great responses from some of the most AMAZING friends went as follows:
My Mother
(obvious if I had said her first name anyway)
Valens
"My strength is that I am a nerd and I track my performance. I set goals for myself; whether it be the distance I run, the time it takes me to run various distances, or the amount of weight I can lift for a specific exercise (squats, dead lift, bench press, military press) or reps for body weight exercises (push ups, pull ups, dips).
I track my exercises in a notebook and I check my progress every month to make sure I am on track. This also helps me make adjustments to my calorie needs based on my performance.
There is nothing more motivating for me than to see that I have gone up by 80 lbs in squats or dead lifts. Or that I've shaved off 5 mins on my 10 km time. Competing with myself is the best motivation! The limits to your performance are set by you and not anyone else. I have often surprised myself by what my body is capable of and I hope I keep on pushing these limits.
I never thought I would be able complete a half marathon after breaking my ankle. Let alone doing it in under 2hrs on my first attempt.
Do not underestimate the power of the mind."
Emily
Shaneen
"Biggest strength is probably the ability to maintain a healthy, yet balanced lifestyle.
Motivation is to decrease risk of acquiring preventable chronic illness and maintain a optimal health and well-being."
Honey ;)
Rob
Biggest strength: my care for others and my longing to help people find the best in themselves."
Nicole
Joanne
"I'm not sure what my biggest strength is . I do love a challenge and that is what keeps me coming back....the want to push a little further...balance a little longer....walk a little farther. I don't like to be normal...My massage therapist says that I am extreme. I really love the mind fu*k....like your saying....Your body can do anything, you just have to convince your mind.
I really love the free buzz that you get from exercise. It's free and lasts way longer than any that you have to pay for.
I also have a partner that loves the same stuff so that really helps. We go on a lot of adventures...big and small. I just find I really feel alive when I am doing these things. I love it when I see a friend start to exercise and they start to glow and have more energy and feel good about their body."
Steven
"Perspective:my ability to shift it and roll with the punches. My life just runs better when I stay healthy, sometimes I have to remind myself of that."
Stephanie
Shawna
"Ahh what keeps me healthy? I think from working in the healthcare sector, that I can see the importance of long term healthy-active living. It's a driver to keep me going. Also, I always like the challenge of pushing myself and feeling the reward after the workout. It's a very personal achievement that noone helps you with. It's all from your strength and determination to keep pushing."
Karla
Tobi
Christopher
"Victoria, this might sound super stereotypical, but my family is what keeps me motivated. Waking up early and long days: the only motivation is to put bread on the table. Stay healthy as possible: the need to be always top shape to support the fam."
Courtney
"What keeps me motivated ??? It started one year ago when I saw how fitness changed my best friends lifestyle and how happy it made her ! Vic motivated me every step of the way .. in and out of the gym.. When I joined Heavy Weights she was there pushing me through it, always saying anything is possible and keep going your doing it. Never one bit of negativity and from there I saw changes.. Motivation is different for each and everyone, however for me the biggest motivation was Vic (little does she know) as I saw Vic change her lifestyle and the way she lived, it made me want to me more like her and place those lifestyle changes into my own life ... Then it was the motivation of the NLABBA that kept me going. I realized that once you had a goal that you set, that anything is possible.
My biggest motivation was getting to the stage. It didn't matter to me where I placed , I just new that having the support from friends and my trainers Kayla and Jon were all I needed.. But my biggest motivator and biggest strength was Victoria .. We done it together , we trained our asses off and meal prepped And we done it as a team.. We were team mates ! My biggest strength was teamwork. Working together and doing it together !! It was never a game of doing it for myself, it was the strength of knowing I'd do it for the 16 weeks and was doing it for me and Vic ! And well we did !!! In November as i walked the stage of the NLABBA
Out of all the blog posts I've written to date, this has been one of the most touching. And obviously, it wasn't I, who wrote it. The reasoning behind some of these people made me really question what keeps me motivated. It had me thinking about my biggest strength, and to be honest, I don't have a paragraph to share with you guys because I haven't really figured it all out yet. I am, however, on the path to figuring it out. Strengths and motivational reasoning are continuously changing for me, so maybe some time I'll check back.
Finishing up, I would like to give a HUGE thank you to:
- My Mom
- Valens
- Emily
- Shaneen
- Honey
- Rob
- Nicole
- Joanne
- Stephanie
- Steven
- Shawna
- Karla
- Tobi
- Christopher
- Courtney
You guys are truly, amazing!
I've re-read your posts over and over and over. Not kidding. I've had this written for days and days and was waiting for the right moment to post it.
You guys ALL rock!
Stay awesome and thank you SO much for everything shared for this post :)
No comments:
Post a Comment