Motivation, Goals, and Winning

Motivation

One of the most common questions I get from high school and collegiate rowers is “How do you stay motivated?” I don’t have a good answer to that because I always want to say “well, I just like doing it!” But when I ask myself why I like to do it — finish hard workouts/show up on cold mornings/do my recovery work — some better answers pop up. 

One, first and foremost, is the pursuit of excellence — I want to find out how good I can be. This means pushing the limits of how strong I can be in the gym, how tough I can be when pushing myself into the hole at the end of a hard workout, or how athletic and resilient I can be by getting my mobility, nutrition, and recovery right. 

Other, secondary, reasons are external: I like to impress others, and I want to show my competition and anyone watching that I am the best athlete and person I can be. I think everyone, no matter what they say, is influenced by this to some extent. Humans are social animals, so everyone does care about their standing in society. It’s easy to show up to the boathouse every morning when you have a coach and teammates that 1) expect you to be at practice and 2) you like and want to see every day.

All that said, I’m doing this because I like it. The daily routine, seeing my friends every day, being outside, working out, working towards a goal — these are all things that bring me joy and fulfillment. I also like the person that I am while rowing.

I don’t train or race angry. I don’t do this to prove or disprove other’s expectations of me. And I’m not willing to choose success in rowing over my overall contentment in life. 

Could I be better at rowing if I didn’t spend as much time with my friends and family? Sure. I decided that I’m going to be the best rower I can be while enjoying my life. Finding that balance is a personal choice, and others may judge you for where you draw that line. But, in the end, you are the only author and judge of your own life. Without finding a balance that you are satisfied with, you may be able to train harder for a few months or years, but it will eventually lead to burnout (which, by the way, won’t make you a better rower or happier person in the end).

Goals

My biggest goal is to be a Quality/Good/Excellent Person. This means being the best rower I can be while being nice, having loving friends and family, and helping my community.

Particular goals, like winning a race or going to the Olympics, are there to give me a direction and a challenge. Theoretically, the winners of the single sculls at the Olympics will be the most excellent single scullers. So if I set that as my goal, to be the best single sculler, then I’m working towards being a Quality Person as well. 

Racing and testing are opportunities to find out how much closer to my goals I’ve gotten. They also, for the same external, social reasons mentioned above, make it a lot of fun. I love racing. There’s something primal about competition, and it gives me a reason to push to my absolute limits. It’s hard to hit those limits in training — sure, you push hard during interval sessions, but racing gives me motivation to push through the pain associated with going faster in those last 500 meters.

Winning

However, if your only goal is to win races, and you find your self-worth in the results, then you’ll likely be disappointed. 

If you win your local regatta, great, then go to Canadian Henley. Win that? Then go win US trials, then a World Cup, then World Champs, then the Olympics. Every four years, there are 24 Olympic gold medals handed out each to men and women. 

If every one of the thousands of elite-level rowers around the world based their self-worth and satisfaction off of winning, then 99% of them would be disappointed with their lives every four years. 

“Doing the best you can” is cliche, but if you truly feel that you did your best, then that will bring you the most happiness in your life.