Q; what is the
universal language?
A; a smile.
Q; what makes the ‘world
go round’?
A; the Sun, money,
love? I propose the answer is altogether more simple (ok, and complex);
EMOTION
Our emotions
control what we do, shape our values and give us purpose. Their derivative is a
place we have limited control over, often shaped by our life experiences,
especially those formed at an impressionable young age. Without emotion, money
wouldn’t matter and love would be a mystery.
To maximise the
benefits from an understanding of the four pillars of ultimate performance each
pillar must first be stripped of its impurities; in much the same way that a
young army recruit is taken to his lowest possible ebb prior to reconstruction.
So whilst
motivation can be discussed as a separate entity it has it’s foundation in
emotion, a so-called plinth if you like. When you discover what really
motivates you, you will better grounded to start work on the subsequent pillars
and then achieve your overall aims. Thus you should consider the psychology of
your own emotions.
‘What is motivation?’
I googled this
question (to get me started) and at the very top of the page I got the
following;
- The
reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.
- The
general desire or willingness of someone to do something.
Whilst far from
being a panacea, this definition fits with my thread so for now I will begin
with a story to illustrate what it really means.
Blackie
There was once a
young lad I knew very well. His first 12 years were less than ideal. Physically,
mentally and sexually abused by his alcoholic, drug addicted mother, he had
been in and out of care since he was 4 years old – when the courts decided that
his mother (who didn’t want him) should be granted his custody.
She had brainwashed
him into believing that he would never be loved, never mind liked – and his
early experiences confirmed this. The other kids didn’t want to play with a
‘blackie’ so from as early as he could remember, he would wander the streets
all day rarely returning until midnight – not that it was of any consequence to
his guardian.
Her issues were
invariably taken them out on him. His sister was treated like his mothers
sister and the pair of them picked on him relentlessly. In addition to the
emotional pain he was living through daily, he witnessed his mother
prostituting herself, trying to kill herself (several times), being taken in
and out of mental health clinics and also spending time inside for attempted
murder.
At 12 years old,
his father got custody of him (his sister thankfully stayed where she
was). When he moved to his new school it was noted that he was 4foot 9inches
tall, weighed 4.5 stone and had size 3 feet. He was also classed as having
learning difficulties.
By the end of his 3rd
year in High School, he had grown a foot taller, doubled his weight, tripled
his foot size and shot up from the foundation level in all subjects to near the
top. He had surprised everyone (except himself). He was a grafter and by this time
had bagged 4 part time jobs. As a consequence he felt even more independent - save
the roof over his head and the meals that were provided.
However, he had
become ready to move on. Why? Because he was petrified of his dad; here was a
man that despite his good intentions could not break free from his own issues
for the good of his son. He was quite handy with his fists and needed little
excuse for beating on the boy.
And to think, all
that was hoped for was a safe refuge; somewhere he could finally break free of
his mental anguish but it just wouldn’t stop. On the outside everyone came to
know him as a likable guy, mostly because of his attention seeking behaviour
but others had him marked and knew he was vulnerable.
As far as
achievements were concerned, his first came when he was 16 years old. Having
just mastered the alphabet sequence a year earlier, he was awarded an A grade
in English Higher. This win set about a principle that was already forming well
– to be rewarded in life you must work hard because there really are no
shortcuts.
Fast forward 20
years and I’ve done alright for myself; detached house; married for 12 years
with two kids; got a permanent job; had the privilege of teaching, encouraging
and influencing like minded individuals and benefited from same (whilst serving
in the British Army); travelled the world and learnt about many cultures; I
contribute to my local community in my present day to day job and have raised
money for local charities; participated in a conglomerate of challenging activities
and whilst it has been anything but plain sailing, I’ve made some relatively
note-worthy achievements.
I use that word
‘relative’ because where I am now is a very different place from where I
could’ve, perhaps even should’ve, been.
At this juncture, I
would ask that no-one feels any sympathy for me because there is a point to my
openness. Those years have defined me; there are times when I able to see them
as a gift. Ok, so I’d have preferred that some of what happened – didn’t, but I
can’t change any of that now.
You see this
background is the reason I have for acting or behaving in such a way;
- It
is the reason I get annoyed with people who complain about what I perceive
to be trivial matters;
- The
reason I am openly frustrated with laziness, incompetence and a lack of
leadership from those so obliged;
- It
is the reason that I barely converse with anyone unless I have something
important to say – and when I do, I can go on a bit;
- It
has shaped my values – honesty, integrity, conviction, a distrust of
vanity and privilege, a hatred of corruption and criminal activity etc;
- It
is the reason that (behind closed doors) I am incredibly sensitive to
moving films and music – often crying my eyes out;
- And
it has given me an insight to real pain; I will return to the relevance of
this point later.
So according to
google, I’m half way to understanding what motivates me. I’ve broken things
down, analysed them and made some conclusions. I could be wrong but the hard
work is actually still to do. I’d advise you read the entire post before you try
to hone in on your motivation - you need the whole picture.
It’s now time to
consider the desire (or willingness) for running an ultra.
Now you need to
know about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. So in layman’s terms;
- Intrinsic
– doing something for you. Sounds like you might have a grasp on that;
right? Mmnnn, I’ll explain in a bit.
- Extrinsic
– doing something because of the associated external reward e.g. money,
applause, fame, love, the associated image…….. You’ve got a handle on this
one, eh? Easy.
To get to the
bottom of this, what better place to start than the pouring out above?
What’s this all
about, you may ask yourself? Is this guy simply after approval; some kind acceptance?
As much as it irks me, I have to admit that in some sense it is true. In fact the
truth is, most people have this basic need, and it even defines some.
If I’m brutally
honest I would say that about 20% of what drives me is for the associated
adulation (extrinsic). I’m not happy about admitting that, in fact I’d rather
not. But if we’re going to iron out motivation and uncover what really drives a person we have to be
100% honest with ourselves. By doing so we will not be found wanting when the
cracks begin to form – as they so often do during the latter stages of an ultra.
If you want the very best from yourself (and its not just a social gathering), you have to be
absolutely certain about your commitment to an ultra before you start. Therefore, it is of huge comfort to me
knowing that even if I was the only person on the planet I would still want to
train for and run an ultra as fast as my ability would let me. This is
where my other 80% of motivation lies.
I am mostly
intrinsically motivated. It’s who I am, in no-matter what I do; this drive is
equally applicable to everything I am involved with – which is somewhat (and
unintentionally) unfortunate for those I interact with. When you are intrinsically
motivated nothing else matters. It is felt as a burning desire and is way more
powerful than extrinsic motivation.
In life I HAVE TO BE
as good a husband and father as I possibly can be. You can probably guess why.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not perfect, far from it – but I will keep learning and
keep trying to be better. It’s the reason I walked away from a flying career in
the Army 8 years ago and is why I now work where I do.
Latterly, it is my
driving ambition to be as good an ultra runner as I can possibly be. My love of
this sport comes from the associated pain. We would all agree that there comes
a time during an ultra when we are forced to confront ourselves at our rawest form.
Ironically, this is my sanctuary.
The spin off from
all of this is that my ‘background’ and ‘desire’ also drive me to encourage the
best from others. When I witness people around me not trying hard enough or
giving up, I am deeply disappointed. I feel they are losing grasp of what
really matters; their only chance. Life is too short; it’s not a practice run.
In a weird quirk of
fate, I read Carilyn Johnson’s blog 2 days ago - it just so happened to be
discussing her own motivation;
“If we quit chasing our dreams because we are fulfilled,
or ready to move onto something else, then that is fantastic! Well done! But if
we quit because we are tired of the fight, tired of failing again and again,
then we are cheating ourselves, and all those around us who are gaining
inspiration from what we do day in and day out.”
You see where I’m
going with this, yet? Running an ultra extrinsically can be thought of as doing
it for the wrong reasons. Am I wrong? Look, I know I’m a novice runner but I
contend that the longer distance one runs the less extrinsic it becomes, (and
should be).
Running an ultra extrinsically is essentially attention seeking and mirrors a selfishness and weakness in ones being. And whilst it reflects a growing culture, it will not provide the deep meaningful reward available by running intrinsically.
Running an ultra extrinsically is essentially attention seeking and mirrors a selfishness and weakness in ones being. And whilst it reflects a growing culture, it will not provide the deep meaningful reward available by running intrinsically.
Why does Usain Bolt
sprint?
Why does WilliamSichel run? Why do any of the best of them (ultra runners) run?
Yes, I know these
examples are hardly based on rigorous research and can be easily taken as convenient
examples to illustrate my opinion. But how many people would agree with my
perception?
To find out what
motivates you and then see if you’re suited to running ultra’s I propose you
ask yourself the following questions;
- Do
you care what people (other than those closest to you) think of you?
- What
would you be doing if you had all the money in the world?
- Do
you truly know yourself?
- When
you fail, what is your gut reaction?
- Are
you completely honest with yourself all of the time?
- Would
you agree that the right thing to do is often the most difficult? And…..
- Under
those circumstances which direction do you most take?
However, although I
will continue to discuss motivation in the future, up next will be one of the
other pillars; mental strength, physical conditioning and/or energy and
nutrient timing.
