Motivation
Mojo
I recently
viewed a documentary about legendary rock band ‘Queen’. Yes,
perhaps I'm showing my age here but I was/still a huge fan of
the band. Man….that Freddie Mercury, he sure could sing!
It was
interesting to hear the band members talk about Freddie’s battle
with AIDS and his eventual death. I often perceive famous rock
stars to be the type of individuals who enjoy the high life and
tour year after year for no more than the financial gain.
Freddie kept
singing as long as he could
I was therefore
enlightened to learn that Freddie recorded music right up until
his final days. Apparently some days he would phone in and say
he was too ill and on others he would advise that he would be
good for a few hours.
Here was a guy
who had a terminal illness yet he had a true passion for music
and a desire to leave his mark right up till his final days. He
was never going to see the royalties from Queens final album,
‘Made in Heaven’.
Over
enthusiasm + bad luck = injury
A member of my
Brisbane running group was a reluctant spectator at the recent
Brisbane Half Marathon. Over enthusiasm and bad luck had caught
up with Deb and as a result she was struck down with an injury.
Deb’s Gold Coast Airport Marathon campaign had lost momentum,
she was devastated.
Minutes before
the start of the Brisbane race a seasoned runner approached me
and asked how to re-discover motivation. This runner advised
that she had lately been struggling to find a reason to run and
that it all seemed a bit of a chore.
At the very same
time I caught a glimpse of Deb painstakingly watching all of the
runners assemble. What an extreme contrast in appreciation I
thought to myself. Here we have one runner injured and full of
desire and another injury free yet unmotivated.
We can become
complacent
My advice to the
unmotivated runner was to imagine how she would feel if her
ability to run was taken away from her. To imagine someone
saying, “You’re not allowed to run for three months”, or worse
still, “You will never run again”.
A group of
school children recently cheered and applauded our Brisbane
running group as we ran past them during our final fast effort.
It was an exciting atmosphere and as we walked back exhausted
they cheered and applauded loudly yet again. Ok, maybe I
encouraged them just a little.
It was not the
MCG showcasing a ding dong battle between an Australian and an
Ethiopian however the motivation I witnessed from the runners in
my group was just as inspiring. Running in a group is a sure way
to find lost motivation. People naturally thrive in a group
environment. Success breeds success.
Group environment & Awareness
Training in a
group will make your running far more challenging and enjoyable.
Combining this with an awareness that your running days will not
be with you forever may be just enough for your motivation mojo
to reach an all time high.
Freddie
‘eventually’ sang every song as if it was his last and I
encourage you to channel the same type of passion into your
running.
Footnote:
I am holding a motivation seminar 'with a difference' in
Brisbane.
Full details
here.
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