Stronger, Faster, Better

          Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I want to discuss something that should be motivating, but may at first appear to be discouraging.  It is the fact that there is always going to be someone stronger, faster and better than you, than me, than everyone in the world.  Even world champions and first place winners eventually get dethroned.  But again, this isn't meant to be discouraging.  This isn't meant for you to hear it and then think to yourself that you might as well give up because you are never going to be the strongest, fastest, and / or best.  On the contrary, this fact should be motivating as it should allow you to see that there is always a goal to strive for, keep you grounded in knowing that it o.k. to be at the place you are currently at, and also show you that you may actually be motivating to someone else.  Striving to be stronger, faster and better is inherently going to lead you to a fit new you.

          This idea of there is always going to be someone stronger, faster and better I first experienced with my other passion...cars.  I would have a goal for the car I owned, and then as I became happy with where I got the car to, there would be another car I would see and / or encounter that was faster, more powerful, etc.  To be honest, it would be a bit discouraging.  But then as I thought about it, even if you owned the most expensive, highest horsepower having, flashy car, there would be a newer model that would come out the following year.  Or, another car maker would top that car with its next model.  And this is where the motivational part comes from; it isn't meant to be discouraging that there was already something else better, knowing that became the motivating factor to make something even better...it drives competition.  And this is true in sports, and athletic and fitness competitions as well.  Just because someone wins the gold medal one year, doesn't mean that someone should just give up, that it is over.  Just the opposite, it should drive you to one day achieve that same level.  I think it is a safe bet that the most motivated person coming out of a competition is the second place winner.  Sports teams are usually driven to win a championship after losing one...its part of the reason why it isn't all that common for a team to repeat as champions the following year.

          The same way that competitors should be driven by a loss to someone else or another team, you should be motivated by the person ahead of you.  If you are at the gym and there are people who are there who are currently in better shape than you, are stronger than you and things of the like, it should not discourage you from wanting to be better.  It should show you that what you want to achieve and where you want to get to is in fact possible.  In the least, maybe there is something you can learn from those already at the next level.  You can ask how they got to where they are.  Those who accomplish great things are the ones who see something being done already and ask how they can top it.  Those who are at the moment stronger, faster and better are the ones that show you it can in fact be done, and are the ones that you should be chasing down.  Once you achieve it, you should be mindful that there will be someone then gunning for you, so you should not get complacent, but instead keep up with what you have been doing.

          Along the same lines, if you know that there is always someone stronger, faster and better than you, that means that YOU are currently someone stronger, faster and better than someone else.  As a gym teacher I was often told early in my career that I didn't need to be the best at every single sport that I taught, I just had to be better than the junior high students I was teaching.  That was a bit of a joke, but there is a good deal of truth to it.  More importantly, in terms of competitiveness, knowing that you are at the moment at a healthier level than someone else, it should motivate you to continue to strive for greater things because there is someone looking up to you.  Maybe someone else is simply motivated by what you have already done, so you shouldn't let them down.  Or, maybe you should continue to be competitive because you don't want to fall behind.

          Knowing that there is always someone stronger, faster and better than where you are currently at with your fitness goals should motivate you to become your strongest, fastest and best.  Although ultimately what is your best might not be the world's best, becoming your best is everyone's ideal goal.  What will get you there is being motivated from the fact that there are people already who have done what you want to do is possible.  You could also be motivated by the fact that you want to challenge and surpass what has already been achieved.  And you can also be motivated by the fact that someone already looks up to what you have done so you should keep pressing on to continue to be a role model.  Staying motivated with your fitness goals can be challenging.  But there are so many ways to keep you striving for your goals on a daily basis.  Something that may seem discouraging at first like knowing that there will always be a stronger and faster competitor can in fact be motivating as well.  Looking to become stronger, faster and better is one of the best ways tto achieve a fit new you!