Are You Getting Bored with MMA?

The first time you do anything it is very exciting.

You are not quite sure what to expect, but you are anxious to experience whatever may come. Then once you get to it, you love it! It lights a fire in you and you feel the rush.

When feeling the rush, you are super inspired to do as much as possible. You train twice a day, read books, watch videos, and setup private training sessions. You want to get as much down as possible, like it is going out of style.

Almost everyone that is training in MMA now has had that rush. But after being involved with the same activity for years, that rush may fade and what was once a bonfire may now be a flickering candle. How can we get that feeling back?

I chose the analogy of fire for a reason – motivation is a spiritual fire. When you first start a new activity, you have lots of dry tinder to burn up, so that fire burns fast and hard. But after that fast burn, you need to feed the fire to keep it going strong.

“What is the wood in this metaphor?”

Motivational Sources. You get inspired by watching certain things like a dramatic performance, witnessing an artist at work, hearing a speech, etc. The trick to keep feeling the rush is to keep feeding yourself motivational sources. The more things or people you have that inspire you, the stronger your fire will burn.

Every person should have a motivational list – an inventory of all things, people, songs, etc. that motivate you to perform at higher levels. These can include:

• Books
• Movies
• Music
• Speeches
• People
• Goals
• Events
• Memories

The best part is that you don’t always have to find new sources. Usually, if a source is strong enough, it will sustain you for decades. For example, I have watched Men of Honor many times and I still get inspired watching Cuba Gooding Jr. take his 10 steps with Robert DeNiro goading him on.

Your motivational list is SUPER IMPORTANT. Without it, your fire will turn into a flickering candle that can be blown out by a gust of wind. What we all want is a raging fire that burns as bright as a star. Such intensity can only be achieved by actively seeking motivational sources and continuously revisiting them to keep you feeling the rush.