How to ALWAYS win!

Four years ago and nearly 300 lbs!

I love triathlon. I love training and competing. I do not apologize for my enthusiasm for the sport of triathlon. What some might mistake for over-intensity or cockiness is really just elation. Elation over that fact that, less than four years ago, I was too lazy to get off the couch to walk around the block, but now I have boundless energy. While I have never been proud of how much I let myself go for all of those years, there is no mistaking the pride I have in the fact that I found myself, buried deep inside the lethargy, and brought myself back to a lifestyle that I could not be enjoying more!

My enthusiasm is due, in part, to something that I would say is my strongest trait. It allows me to stand before you and claim to be undefeated in the sport of triathlon. That is right. I always win and I plan to keep on winning. Here is why I say that and the secret to how you can, too! It comes down to motivation.

There are volumes written on the subject of motivation. Motivation is defined as the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. More important than just a pep talk about “motivation” is understanding the relative and important differences between the broad types of motivation labelled as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic motivation involves engaging in a behavior because it is personally rewarding; essentially, performing an activity for its own sake rather than the desire for some external reward. External motivation is when we engage in a behavior or perform an activity in order to earn a reward or avoid a punishment.

Intrinsic: You find it enjoyable, challenging, and exciting. (Motivation arises from within the individual. Task oriented or performance related.)

Extrinsic: You do it to obtain an award or avoid a negative outcome or punishment. (Motivation arises from outside the individual. Ego oriented or outcome related.)

Studies suggest that intrinsic motivation is best. However, in some cases, people simply have no internal desire to perform an activity. In these cases and when used appropriately, extrinsic motivators/rewards can be a useful tool. However, extrinsic rewards can be counterproductive if you already find the activity intrinsically rewarding. The best example of this is how they can make the “play” activity seem too much like “work”! How many times have we heard, “Trying to keep up with all of these workouts is too much like work!”?

"A person's interest often survives when a reward is used neither to bribe nor to control but to signal a job well done, as in a "most improved player" award. If a reward boosts your feeling of competence after doing good work, your enjoyment of the task may increase. Rewards, rightly administered, can motivate high performance and creativity. And extrinsic rewards (such as scholarships, admissions, and jobs that often follow good grades) are here to stay," explains David G. Meyers in his text, Psychology: Eighth Edition in Modules.

Being intrinsically motivated, I am much less interested in beating the other person as I am doing the best I can for my current abilities. Intrinsic motivation is so beautiful in that it allows me to only be concerned with what is within me... within my control. The fact that it rains on race day and slows down my bike split does not ruin my day. I readjust my expectations and perform to the best of my abilities for the conditions. When I do have a bad performance, I will look for the lessons of the day and make the necessary adjustments for the next time. But, no matter what, I am always going to find the positives in my performance and celebrate those!

Some quotes get “overused” because they are so fitting. One that came to mind while writing this was, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game!” Can there be a better quote to illustrate intrinsic and extrinsic motivation?! In that quote we see that the outcome, what is dictated after the activity is completed (extrinsic), does not matter when compared to what takes place during the activity (intrinsic). THAT is the important part!

Remember, when you are intrinsically motivated, motivation comes from within. The only competition is yourself. If you have the right motivation, you can always find something positive in your training or event. If you can do that, you can never lose! You ALWAYS win!

So, are you intrinsically or extrinsically motivated?