“Once something is a passion, the motivation is there.” – Michael Schumacher
Getting to the top in sport takes years of hard graft, and only those who persevere through the lows as well as the highs will succeed, so where does the ability to persevere and keep grafting come from? Well, a large part of the answer is found in being passionately committed to succeeding.
If you don’t love what you do, you’re going to have a hard time doing it day in and day out, and if you don’t feel passionate about achieving something, you’re going to struggle to stick with it when the going gets tough, right? People who succeed in sport are passionate about their sport and passionate about being the best they can be in their sport – passion keeps them grafting for as long as it takes to achieve their goals.
“Passion overcomes everything because when you truthfully love something, it’s hard to stop you from doing it and it’s hard to stop you from doing your best at it.” – Mark McMorris
Inspiration and Motivation
Many top performers begin their journey to sports success in childhood, and they’re often inspired to take up a sport by emulating sports “stars” already at the top of their game. They dream of having the skills and abilities of their heroes and perhaps the fame and trappings that come with it, and they get out there and practise with thoughts of stardom in their minds.
Practise leads to improving skills and abilities, and being good at doing something provides the motivation to keep doing it… but you can’t win every game. If you’re motivated by winning, what happens when you lose?
Intrinsic Motivation
Passion and intrinsic motivation are interchangable . When your motivation to take part in your sport comes from the sheer love of doing it and the buzz it gives you, you’re intrinsically motivated. You see, being passionate about your sport doesn’t mean you’re going to love every day and every moment of it, you’re going to have bad days and tough times, but being passionate about being the best you can be in your sport gives you the motivation you need to persevere through challenges and stick with it – win or lose.
“Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement.” – Matt Biondi
Passionate sportspeople accept the rough with the smooth and they find reasons in every eventuality to keep moving forward They learn, and they move on, building on every experience to make improvements. Motivation gets you started, but it’s passion that fuels the fire that keeps you going.
The bottom line is that successful sportspeople are highly motivated individuals, but it’s passion combined with skills that can separates the good from the greats.
How passionate are you?
If you would like more information or to hear about the latest courses and programmes that could help you with finding your purpose and satisfaction in your life, email donald@zonedinperformance.com