CHAPTER IX from Marti Soosaar’s e-book *A New Beginning*
Ask yourself why you’re doing this at all. Maybe I should have started with this chapter? But if we think of motivation as the sum of its parts, then it fits perfectly here as well.
If you haven’t watched Simon Sinek’s legendary TEDx talk, which recommends starting with the question “why,” the video is still available on YouTube. The short version is that the most successful companies are the ones that can clearly answer the “why” question. Why should you buy a car, a phone, or laundry detergent made by them?
You, too, undoubtedly have the answer somewhere inside you to the question of why you do all of this. Why would you even want to be more active? Maybe that first answer isn’t the right one. So dig deeper.
I want to be more active. Why?
Could I lose 15 kg? Why?
When I look in the mirror, I feel like I don’t look good. Why do you want to look good?
I’m single and would like to find someone to share my life with, but I don’t want just anyone. I’d also like someone who’s athletic, so I should be more athletic myself. Okay, why do you want someone in your life?
I feel like it would make me happy.
It would probably be wise to stop digging deeper now, so I don’t just keep asking “why” questions like a five-year-old.That thought and the journey to reaching it are probably understandable, and that’s likely why you answer that it would make your life happier. Who wouldn’t want to be happy? That is the ultimate goal.
Of course, these questions and answers differ from person to person, but the ultimate reason is probably pretty much the same. You’re simply much happier.
Once you’ve thought these things through for yourself, your reasons will be much clearer to you, and when you’re wondering whether to go to the gym or not, focus your thoughts on that “why.” It might help you on a rainy day.
Of course, there are two sides to this, just like every coin. If we do just one workout, it won’t visibly bring us any closer to our goal, but it might still be tough. Focusing solely on the “why” can lead you to that conclusion after a few weeks, even if you haven’t noticeably slimmed down yet. Somehow, you have to find a way to make this process enjoyable for yourself, because the good answers to the “why” questions may not come for months or even years.
This was Chapter 9 of Marti Soosaar’s e-book “A New Beginning.” We’ve also published the previous chapters; you can read them on our blog, and you can download the entire e-book HERE.
If you’ve now figured out what your “why” is and decided it’s time to get moving, choose a workout HERE.
