Motivation: Where is it?

Lack of motivation is a killer of success, and fear of failure (or success for that matter) is the single most deadly component to any dream. It doesn't matter if other people think you can or can not achieve something if you don't.

I have had times when EVERYONE around me believed in me, but I had doubt, and I failed. I have had times when everyone around me told me I was foolish to have certain dreams, but my heart didn't know how to stop, and in the end, my belief brought success.

What separates most people who have 'made it' from those who haven't is an unwavering belief in their own success. It is not genetics, tho they play a part. How many times have I seen someone who had all the talent but none of the drive and ended up 'wasting' their ability. Genetics and talent mean nothing if you don't believe in their existence. And often talent can be developed and honed in on.

If you don't know my story, I am a girl who was never supposed to become an IFBB fitness pro or any other pro athlete. I have average genetics, average. I have zero back ground in gymnastics, dance or anything that would lend to a fitness routine or career. At 20-years-old, a dream was born. A fire burned that many tried to put out...repeatedly.

Had I listened to them, I would have quit. But I didn't, I took a year of yoga before a year of gymnastics (with 8-year-olds) before I began to put together a routine and think about a competition. I didn't do well my first show, or my second, but I progressed. Inch-by-inch I qualified for nationals. I was the girl who shouldn't even have made it that far. I struggled with my physique and my routine, but I loved it and the work and time and energy was worth it. I believed that I would be deserving of the title IFBB Pro. I believed if I worked hard enough I would make up for my genetics and lack of background. And that is exactly what I did.

I would have been easier to believe I couldn't do it, much easier. I think that is what kills people's motivation; it is easier to keep where you are instead of work for where you want to be. It is easier to give up than to go for it. It is easier to not try than to chance failure.

You may not succeed at every one of your dreams, but the only thing holding you back from a better life is yourself. The reason we love movies like Rudy, Mighty Ducks, Miracle, and Remember the Titans, is because somewhere in all of us is a dream that should have come true.