Motivation
Part 1
The advice that follows was originally written for someone who is
probably a more mature adult with young children and is trying to mix family
responsibilities with their own training.
The sport is Taekwon-Do, the Korean martial art. Circumstances such as
these are very specific though the content here could equally apply to many
other scenarios.
A little guidance to keep you on course : don't look too far ahead and
only focus on your next goal. Your overall objective may be the same, but leave
that for the future. You must first do what is immediately next to move
forwards. You may feel it necessary to put other's needs ahead of your own and
so hijacking your time. Be careful. I am not suggesting everything else comes
no better than second place, but a reordering of personal issues may allow you
to give your own needs the respect they deserve. By all means you should set
yourself high standards but you should ease up a little to lay off the pressure
you may be imposing on yourself by trying to stay on an old timeline that's no
longer right for you.
You should review your situation. Your goals may be much the same but
the timeline may need changing. To continue at a rate simply to stay on a target set some time ago is
not always a good thing. Shift the balance a little to incorporate the needs of
today and not those of yesterday. What you need to do may be the same, but to
remain in control some adjustments may be needed. Do not let events control
you. Take time to think and focus your thoughts. What is really important? Is
it getting what you want in a set time or just getting what you want - even if
it takes longer? Working towards other people's deadlines is sometimes
difficult and it may become necessary to set your own time so allowing you to
back off a little to give yourself time. What is the rush? You can be in danger
of imposing unnecessary pressures upon yourself. With everything else that may
need to be done it becomes unfair on yourself. Don't feel the need to rush
ahead just to keep on a self-imposed time table. By being self-imposed you have
the authority to change it. Use your time wisely. Give yourself time to
appreciate your own wisdom and to be aware of how far you have come and what
lies ahead. How close it can seem and yet so far to achieving your goal. It
should be expected. If you need longer then take longer.