I’m often asked by people how they can stay motivated or how they can be driven to succeed. And well, being motivated and driven is good, the problem is that it never lasts. A lot of people don’t like hearing that. They’ve read “The Secret” and have a pile of self help books telling them that positive thinking is what they need to do. I’m sorry, it’s not going to help you.

Here’s the deal…

When you try something new or in a long process your emotions will go through a roller coaster. You’ll have highs that will make you feel like no one can stop you and lows where you don’t want to do anything. This roller coaster has been experienced by me no matter what I do.

When you’re looking to get motivated or driven, you’re actually waiting for your emotions to get that way. That actually makes you dependent on them. This makes you more susceptible to the problems of the roller coaster. When you’re on the highs, you’ll be motivated and driven, but on those lows you’ll have nothing to get you out of bed.

Don’t play the roller coaster game

I don’t look to my emotions to get me going to do the things that make up bodybuilding. I know that if I choose that path I’ll be on a roller coaster. What I’ve learned is that habit is how you get successful. This is what will lead to consistent bodybuilding.

You have to train your mind and body to do bodybuilding regardless of how you feel. It’s sort of like brushing your teeth everyday. You do it regardless of your emotional state. It doesn’t matter if you lost your job or you got a promotion, you’re going to brush your teeth tonight. This is what we want to happen for bodybuilding.

The key to building a habit is repetitive behaviors over approximately 21 days. It has been proven that if you do something everyday for 21 days, it’ll turn into a habit. It might take a little longer for bodybuilding since you won’t be at the gym each day. The key is to take advantage of that momentum when you first start and remain consistent for a least a few months. After that point, it’s become a habit and you’ll do it regardless of how you feel.