Motivation - You are probably looking for it in the wrong place

Are the images you consume that show perfectly tanned and toned bodies espousing #healthyliving #rippedbody #fitnessjourney #gains truly inspiring you to do better things with your body, nutrition, heck your mind?

For the last one hundred years we have become enthralled with celebrity lifestyle and we grew up idolizing singers, actors or sports stars. The media capitalized on our desire to want more, know more about the rich and famous and turned us into the perfect consumer robot gathering up every scrap of info and advice from these demigods.

However, in the past ten years we’ve entered into the new era of brand me. America/Britain’s Got talent, The X Factor and Big Brother have taught us that you too can make it and talent isn’t as important as being bat sh1t crazy or kooky. Everyone is now firmly on the “I’m my on personal brand” train and we lap it up because they make us feel more connected to them, they’re local to us and and seem quite simply real, hey you’re just like me.

The movie star status will always remain but the emergence in brand me means EVERYONE is out there trying to carefully curate an image, lifestyle and persona that they think they should be pushing rather than simply being themselves.

It all ends up looking like a Miss World Competition where there can at times be very little substance behind the deliberately crafted image.

So as you flip through Instagram, page through Twitter and scan Facebook are you REALLY finding motivation to eat better, be spurred on to train right or are you being sold a lifestyle that requires social isolation, three hours training a day and wrap all that up with a monastic life fueled with chicken, rice, broccoli and protein shakes?

What’s authentic anymore?

Here’s what’s authentic to me, all mothers and fathers that spent every waking hour taking care of their kids, stressing about how they’re getting on in school, trying to do the best by them so they have a good education, friends and grow up balanced and contributing to society.

I pass the Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice on my way to work daily. This is from their site –

“We provide palliative care and support for children with life-limiting conditions and their families”.

That’s some life affirming work people are doing there daily.

You see, I don’t look for inspiration and motivation in perfection. Motivation exists all around us in our daily life. From the individuals that don’t have 3hrs to train daily, are not longer 22yrs old and they’re certainly not on a #fitnessjourney. Let’s face it Neil Armstrong was on a ‘journey’ so sorting your diet out and training right ain’t a bloody journey and doesn’t require a gold star, it’s just something you do to help you feel fit and healthy. This is even more worrisome when that line is used by trainers that have all day to train, prepare food and spend 2hrs hitting the refresh button to check their likes or carefully construct a picture for their next publication.

Go ask a busy mother or someone that works for a big company like Amazon, Google, Salesforce, IMB, Microsoft, Accenture etc what a typical day looks like for them, how they balance gym/work/nutrition. It’s full on and these are the people we should admire, respect and follow.

Is is truly authentic for those who are already in great shape that make unbelievable claims about certain products or potions which helped them get into the condition they’re in, when you’re looking at years of reps, sets and for some they’re just a slim young girl that never had to do a tap other than throwing on some leggings and a crop top and jumping into the fitness trend.

You know that friend of yours that says she’s ‘desperate’ to lose weight and would ‘do anything’, well the first thing she/he needs to do is to understand that the task of losing weight will only begin when the fear of doing nothing exceeds the fear of doing it badly. 

The difference is that the busy mothers, the staff of Laura Lynn etc do what they have to do DAILY because they just get on with it, there’s a bigger reason than themselves to think about and it’s not all about ME.

There are plenty of times in your life where you’re better off eating that cake than worrying about losing a few pounds but when the time is right to pull your socks up then please take a moment to think about what you’re grateful for and look at all the motivation and inspiration that exist all around you already.

Maybe perfection is the last place you should be looking.