Motivation Tip: Use what you want to avoid to spur you on

I was working out at the gym and noticed a college-aged guy doing a Dez Bryant-like ab workout - sit up, after sit up...  holding a plank position for several minutes.  Impressive!  I'm always interested in what motivates athletes, so I asked him what his inspiration was for doing such an intense workout. I expected him to answer that he was training for a sport and had to stay in great shape to play his best.

However, his answer was "beach season."  He wanted to look his best wearing a bathing suit at the shore. He went on to say that he keeps a picture of himself at a heavier weight, before he started exercising, on his refrigerator. It serves as a reminder to maintain his current athletic physique and not go back to an out-of-shape build.

For some athletes, avoiding something is a great motivation to do their best. Let me give you some examples...

In preparation for the Eagles Cowboys game this Sunday, Eagles players could watch a highlight reel from the last Philly loss to Dallas. "Here's what we want to avoid, so let's use this to play extra tough on Sunday."

A basketball player can use a crucial missed foul shot as incentive for putting in extra practice time at the free throw line.

A New York City marathoner who had difficulty finishing this past weekend's race can turn that into a commitment to prepare for 2016 with better nutrition and conditioning, and finding other runners to practice with.

If you use a What do I want to avoid? approach for motivation, you do need to be sure it doesn't discourage you and that you don't become too hard on yourself. That's why, in general, I prefer positive motivational practices - working towards what you want to achieve.  But you can try out this approach, in small doses, to see if it works for you.

And if it helps us win against the Cowboys, I'm all for it.

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