Know Your "Why"

What do you spend most of your day doing?  Do you know why you do what you do?  If you’re an athlete, why do you play your sport?  Motivation can determine effort, resiliency, and ultimately have a profound impact on performance. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs (see the pyramid below) speaks to why we act the way we act.  Our needs vary, but our self-actualization and esteem needs are greatly in our control, and vary from person to person.  However, if we recognize our motivation and why we desire certain things, then we are able to feed our motivation rather than starve it.

Take a look toward the top of the pyramid and determine why you do what you do.  That explanation should be embedded into you and be a constant reminder when the going gets tough.