Motivation - Knowing your why
Motivation, some riders seem to have an endless amount of it, and some struggle to do the extra.
It’s very common to come across riders who have phenomenal abilities but just fall that little bit short because they don’t do their bmx homework (the boring stuff like sprints). Let’s dive into it a bit.
When we talk about motivation we can put them into two categories
Extrinsic Motivation
This motivation is usually from rewards or outside influences. This could be prize money, trophies or mum and dad buying you a new xbox game if you jumped that jump.
Intrinsic Motivation
This is the opposite, this motivation comes from your internal belief that you want to better yourself regardless of the reward at the end.
It’s perfectly normal to be fuelled by extrinsic motivation from time to time. However, riders should not rely on external rewards to get them through their career (the prize money isn’t that good anyway). Riders who lean into more intrinsic motivation are more likely to have longer careers and perhaps even find more success.
Finding your why
For riders to become intrinsically motivated, first they must determine why they started racing bmx and why they continue to. It’s a very simple question, but also an incredibly powerful one.
For most riders, their why is going to be different. Some want to be a world champion, national champion or go to the Olympics. Some riders want to simply reach their potential in the sport. Others may just love the social aspect and comradery that bmx and training environments bring.
We could list these all day
What’s important is that it’s your why. As long as it makes sense to you it’ll do the job. Get off your phone, get a pen and paper and start brain storming why you compete in the best sport in the world. Remember, there are no wrong answers.
That way, if you ever find yourself low on motivation, perhaps when the weather is shit or you just can’t be bothered. Grab your training diary and read your why. That should put a bit of pep in your step.