Motivation- something that is deep down in every each one of us. There are certain "electronic pulses" that can trigger that feeling of being motivated. It can be anything, not one person is the same. My cousin, "mountain bike mike". He and I are a lot alike, and I constantly bounce ideas off of him. He's generally annoyed at my lack of drive and motivation but what this guy doesn't know is that he is motivating by being an example. So, thanks to the board for motivating that SOB!
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Thanks for the mention. Let me defend and "splain" myself - I get annoyed because I know you're capable of more and you want more yet you make conscious decisions to not pursue it. Plus you're my cousin and I wish the best for you and I tend to push those who are close to me to achieve whatever goals they dream about. I believe that is my place in life. Now shut up and do vo2 max intervals and then climb Devils elbow. seriously.... Kidding
I like to believe that I am "motivated" and "driven" or put some positive tag on my personality but what it really is, is my fear of being a failure at any thing and everything. If I can see it or envision it and am interested in something or set a goal, I'm going to try it and not half ass it. If you're going do something, do it to the best of your ability. That's me. If that helps influence and motivate people around me, kewl - that's a Win / Win and I take pride in being a positive influence - which then motivates me to keep going - it's a great place to be.
I also believe that an individual persons capabilities are endless yet a good majority of people fail to understand what that means. Some people also fail to understand how that applies to them. Some people never voluntarily attempt to do something "impossible" or push themselves so hard to realize truly what they are capable of. Sometimes people figure out their capabilities because they have to. I always enjoy helping people go down the path of understanding capabilities - it makes for great entertainment and most importantly builds character and relationships. Plus - it's fun to see people achieve their goals and dreams and to be able to be a part of that is remarkable
But - there are people that do understand capabilities but choose not to push the limits and live each day striving to be average. I'm cool with those people but in most cases I tend to get into debates that end in an agree to disagree outcome. I tend to judge these people as lazy or quitters or .... The list goes on and on...- I know it's wrong and as i grow up, I am training myself to not judge people but I'm programmed a certain way and will continue to keep my "motivated, driven" personality and lifestyle while being nice to those who choose not to explore what they are capable of. Good luck with that, just don't try to convince me that I should / could live that way.
Of course I only mentioned a few types of people, if I were try to cover all the varities and combinations of personality types, this thread would be a book
Long story short - If you're going to ride regardless of weather, do it and make the most of it. How many cliches are out there? I like "carpe diem" personally. If you do something out of the Norm, be prepared to be called something like "tough" or a "badass" or an "asshole" or whatever. That's life!
For the record - I think cyclists that ride in all conditions and push themselves outside their comfort zones are bad ass and tougher than those that choose not to. The same way I think navy seals, marines, fighter pilots, Martial artists, exteme sports folks, most professional athletes to name a few are tough or tougher than the an average person because to get to that point, you need to push yourself outside your comfort zones to truly understand that you can do it.
Motivation starts with if you want to do it or not.
