Motivation -
what floats your boat? |
As we reach the 100 day countdown to the start of the Worlds,
we have been talking about the subject of
motivation!
For those of us who will be competing, there is a lot of work to do
to be done both on land as well as time spent training on the water.
This section of SkiffiePsych is designed to help you to get your mind and body
working together to best effect!
we have been talking about the subject of
motivation!
For those of us who will be competing, there is a lot of work to do
to be done both on land as well as time spent training on the water.
This section of SkiffiePsych is designed to help you to get your mind and body
working together to best effect!
Whenever we take on the challenge of doing something new and difficult however motivated and determined you are, it is only realistic to expect that at points you may feel it is just too hard going, uncomfortable and possibly even downright painful.
You are likely to experience discouragement and disappointment and doubt. There are going to be times when you feel like you aren't making the progress you hoped for. You might find your mind asking you "What's the point? Is it really worth it?" Although thoughts about failing and not being good enough are bound to show up, this just means that you are a completely normal human being! The first step to motivating yourself to keep going is to get clear about why you are choosing to do this in the first place. What is the meaning and purpose of it to you? This will be different for every one of us. Committing some time and effort now to digging down to the level of values will pay real dividends: It can help you to handle those unhelpful thoughts that are certain appear It can enable you to accept - even embrace - the difficult feelings which will inevitably show up It can strengthen your capacity for connecting fully and wholeheartedly with the present moment and marshal all your resources for the challenges ahead It can lift you up to transcend limits that you may have thought defined who you are Putting in some work on this now can help you to persist in your efforts to take committed action both in the lead up to the competition and when you are in the boat racing. |
Although values and goals are related, they are NOT the same thing. This animation explores the difference. |
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Being clear about our values, and in touch with them in our everyday lives, is an essential part of living well. And as for rowing? You have chosen to do this when there are many alternative ways of spending your time. How does this choice relate to your values? Our Why We Row webpage provides examples from club members who have generously shared their experiences. If you would like some inspiration, have a look at this page now. |
As we approach the challenge of participating in the Worlds it will help for us to understand more about our own personal values regarding rowing. It will be important for us to be able to have conversations about what this experience means to us individually, as crews, and as a club. This is directly related to the subject of motivation, and therefore doing things like getting to the gym and out for hard training rows on bitterly cold days! But exploration of values is relevant whether or not you are racing or participating in some other way. Or if you are not participating at all. We are aware that although there is a lot of excitement around the forthcoming Worlds, Eskmuthe is about more than this event. We would like as many people as possible to be involved in developing our own Charter which sets out our values as a club, what we stand for and how our actions relate to this. |
Click on the images if you would like to try out some exercises to
help you clarify your values in relation to your life generally .
help you clarify your values in relation to your life generally .
Next step: Your values and rowing
Try revisiting the above tools but narrow your focus down to rowing. See if you can clarify what getting into a boat is really all about for you. Feel free to share on the SkiffiePsych chat room or using the contact form. Or have a chat to a fellow rower. Getting to know each other better in relation to this is going to be an important part of becoming a crew or team in the fullest sense. Also, the coxes need to know what it is that matters to you and motivates you most in order to help you to do your best. |