Motivation to Workout When You’d Rather Die

The essential truth when it comes to losing fat depends significantly more on your motivation rather than your exercise and diet. Knowledge in the realm of fitness and nutrition is plenty, but if you’re lacking the will to execute them then you’re going to be dead in the water.

I’ll admit if you throw anybody in the gym who hasn’t worked out before and put them through a tough workout it’ll benefit them. Additionally, if you put anybody on a basic nutrition plan who has been eating cheeseburgers and drinking sodas for the past decade you’ll also see improvements.

The key ingredient that makes it all possible comes down to motivation.

Unfortunately, 99% of people take the wrong path. They think it relies totally on passion to give them the willpower to drive to the gym when they’re dead tired from working all day. Or passion is what’s going to hold them back from eating that cupcake that’s sitting on their desk.

The truth is passion comes and goes very quickly. Sure, when you’re starting a new fad diet or training program you’re passion levels are going to be through the roof. But after a 2-3 weeks of doing the same kind of workouts and eating the same foods your passion is going to go out the window.

Passion can only last so long so that’s why it’s very important to focus on your desire. Desire is what’s going to keep you going when you don’t feel like working out today. The hunger to get better and to accomplish your goals is what’s going to drive you to your results.

Don’t get me wrong I also thought passion is what’s responsible for massive success until I read a quote by world-renown chef Thomas Keller.

“It’s not about passion. Passion is something that we tend to overemphasize, that we certainly place too much importance on. Passion ebbs and flows. To me, it’s about desire. If you have constant, unwavering desire to be a cook, then you’ll be a great cook. If it’s only about passion, sometimes you’ll be good and sometimes you won’t. You’ve got to come in every day with a strong desire. With passion, if you see the first asparagus of the springtime and you become passionate about it, so much the better, but three weeks later, when you’ve seen that asparagus every day now, passions have subsided. What’s going to make you treat the asparagus the same? It’s the desire.”

Reading this quote hit me like a ton of bricks because it rang so true to me. Sure, passion is great while it lasts. You need much more than passion to keep climbing when you feel like throwing in the towel for good.

It’s much too easy to sit on the couch and watch Ellen. You need to find out what you truly want and put your complete focus on it. If you want to get below 10% body fat than you need to focus on that desire. Same as if you want to look great on the beach this summer.

This is what’s going to separate those who achieve fantastic results and those who fall off the face of the map in a few weeks. Living off the high of the passion will get your jump-started, but desire is what’s going to keep you pushing the limits.

I’d highly recommend taking out a piece of paper right now and write down what you WANT. Place your focus on what you want and not on passion. Desire is the key to unlimited motivation.