It’s not a blog where I am going to tell my readers how to be motivated every day. I don’t have the answer. In fact, this is a question I ask myself. And if anyone has the answer, please let me know in the comments.
How do people constantly be motivated? Do the same thing every day for a long time. And finally, become someone great in the field.
I see sportsmen, like Virat Kohli, Cristiano Ronaldo, who are known for their work ethics and dedication. I have watched interviews where they spoke about their mentality. How they work on their weakness and strengths day in and day out. When it comes to the Olympics, the stakes are even higher. Usain Bolt holds the world records in races for 100 meters, at 9.58 seconds. The 2nd place holder Tyson Gay clocked 9.71 seconds. And the last ranked Darvis Patton clocked 10.34 seconds. Only Usain Bolt knows how many kilometers he ran for this 100 meters, how many muscle cramps, torn, mental ups and downs, insult, frustration, neglect he had to face for this edge of .71 seconds. He had to prepare for 23 years for this 9.58 seconds. Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian with 28 medals. I was watching this interview where he said, he used to practice every day, for some hours. No holiday, no vacations, no breaks. And these extra sessions gave him a small edge over others. By the next 4-5 years those small edges sum up and take him way beyond anyone’s reach. But how did they do it? I could not even concentrate for a week. Most of us, lose focus in minutes. So I wonder, there must be something missing, something that they have figured but are not able to express.
What can be that motivation? One sentence that pushes them to their limits, every day for 10-15 years. Stardom cannot be that motivation. In fact, it is their determination and works ethics that gave them their stardom, not the other way around. Years of hard work gave them their chance to perform on the world stage. It cannot be the money. In my opinion, money makes you slow. It gives you this sense of satisfaction. What about desire, desire to be the best? Cristiano Ronaldo, in his Manchester United days, was asked whom does he consider to be the best footballer, and he said, ‘Me’. Hmm, interesting. But maintaining this hunger for 10-15 years, might work for Ronaldo, but what about others?
There is an incident I remember as I am writing this blog. I was into sports during my school days, not a very accomplished one, but I did spend some time on the field. One afternoon we were playing a 6 a side football match. I and my buddy Uttam were on the attack. The opponent had a solid defense line with a strong central defender and solid flank players. We were struggling to score in that match. The attack started from our half when I passed the ball to Uttam in the circle. He received the ball, dodged one, and gave a pass in an open space(through pass). But the space was not empty as I covered that distance. I anticipated. I forwarded another pass for Uttam. To my surprise, he was also expecting this pass and positioned himself accordingly. I felt like the entire scene was playing in slow-motion, I knew what will happen 3 seconds before it was happening. In the end, we crossed 4-5 players in a very small space and scored the goal. And we were smiling. The opponents were smiling. I even smile today. What if all the accomplished ones found this happiness in what they do? Does Virat find his happiness when he expects the next ball to be a bouncer and it happens? Does Ronaldo jump for the bicycle kick just to kick the ball for the fun of it, not to score a goal? When the pistol fired for the 100-meter sprint finals in Berlin, 2009, does Usain Bolt already knew what is going to happen?
Does achievements matter for them at all? Or it is all about this peace, this happiness. We all want different things in life. But is this Nirvana, we all seek? Let me know if anyone has this answer.