The importance of motivation

I have been meaning to speak about motivation, and I will do it now. I am not the best to do so - I have always h ad a more than a little stubborn streak, a willpower that could shatter granite or even diamond and an annoying habit of going through with things I have decided upon. However, I am also adept at simply not doing other things. It often comes down to motivation. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is a noun, and "the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way", including "the general desire or willingness of someone to do something". It can thus be why we do what we do, or how much we want to do something. I have always wanted to be able to run. Why, I do not know. Possibly from seeing mother tear her way through competitions for the sheer fun of it, when young. Or possibly because I couldn't, after around eleven years of age. Or because I had, and loved it, and wanted to again. I have wanted to get rid of pain (knees, shoulder, back...). But I went to doctors and specialists alike, and seldom got a very good reception, until one lady finally began, well, listening. Not just hear what I said, but listen to it, too. However, even before that, I had found a prime motivator for myself: Whatever I did that caused my health to be on top, it helped my iaido, my martial art. That seemed to be the key. I could never do all those boring exercises I was supposed to waste half an hour on every day, and so on. I have always had a lot to do, simply because I can, and I enjoy it. And enjoy sometimes painful, often exhausting and boring, and definitely repetitive, exercises designed sorely to "make the muscles in my legs steady the knees", well... it wasn't a motivator that helped me. It did nothing, no matter the pain. I have to go roundabout ways to get motivation, or get motivated, or to do things. But like I said, my mind is strong, and the device "mind over matter" has nearly always helped me. When it doesn't, that's when I fall into deep pits of despari, but let's talk about that some other time. Now, I started doing iaido in... uh... 200...4? I think? That should be it. It was clear from the start I had to do the sitting kata standing up. No kneepads I could borrow or buy helped that. Until 2005, in autumn, after I had lived in Japan and been ordered to come back and grade for shodan (first dan) in November. I had to get something for my knees. And I went to a specialised company selling stuff to amongst other professionals, militaries, and so on, and there, I found Arc'teryx's kneepads with a thin, hard, plastic part on the outside, and soft cushioning on the inside. They had adjustable straps and, I bought them and thought it worth it, when three weeks later, I had learned to do the kata sitting down, and taken my shodan. I have used them since. Sure, I may look odd compared to everyone else, but they make it work. And once I had those, I could start on more complicated stuff. The koryu kata that are practically all from a sitting position didn't hurt in the bad way, they suddenly... made the pain go away. Unknowingly, I was strengthening all those muscles all the therapists had been trying to telling me to. But I was doing it on my own accord, and for my own reasons: my way in life, that is, iaido. It is not simply something like going to the gym. It is a "do", a way, of living, not just physical exercises. In short, I need something more than a mere "do this and everything will be fine, or at least better". And I needed the honesty, a few years later, of someone saying "you have accepted that you will never get perfectly well, but you are willing to make an effort to become as good as you can, and that is good" (thank you, Anna-Karin at Bosön). I have had many different motivations throughout the years. My mind is my strong point. I have used imagination, down to writing myself a message "to be taken to the elf king beyond the valley, by fastest runner - go!" in order to run (of course, this was back when I ran "normally" and though I certainly did it, I still found it a struggle and stopped), or putting myself in an imaginary Japan, with a whole other name, in a dojo, training as one of the warriors of the clan, in order to be well defended against outsiders. Yes, I use fantasy, and I use my own imagination, and if I find something strong enough, it works. When I was young, I used the motto that if I wanted to be an elf, I had to BE one. Run, jump, train, exert myself! So I went from being unwilling in the PE classes, to being quiet, and very, very hard-working. I hated the others there, but I did everything and I did it well, and it showed. And it felt good, because I knew that I had to be the best, or I wouldn't be an elf. Because an elf is better than a human, right? For running, I used the motto "what if...?" What if this works, running barefoot style? What if it will help me run again? And I used the will from way back when to actually run, the one I had, lamenting, put into a small mental box and mourned and given up. Some use winning as a motivation. Being the best, beating everyone else, can give you an immense satisfaction, and a boost to your self-esteem. Now, I think you should be able to boost your self-esteem all by yourself, and not depend on others for it (and certainly not do it by somehow diminishing others, or hurt them, or cause yourself to feel "higher" than them by making them "lower"), but we are talking motivation here - whatever works for you! (Almost whatever, anyway). Some use getting faster, stronger, harder. Running longer, or the same distance but quicker. This can be a very powerful motivator for some, but I think its importance and strength has been exaggerated. Especially in school, we tend to see this almost everywhere, and fail to realise, there are other ways of motivating people to get better. Some need some goal, such as loosing a specific amount of weight (muscles weigh more than fat, mind you) or being able to, like above, run a set length for a set time, or somesuch. Some need something less tangible - like me, where I need somehow to be able to relate everything back to my iaido. Whatever I do that might even remotely benefit that, is automatically easier to do, or, gets done at all. Or I must have some fantasy in my head to follow, but then, I live a lot inside my head anyway so that might not be good for everyone. And some do not need A to have a result or worth of B. For some, the sheer joy, or the doing itself, is the motivation. A modified quote from one book by Charles de Lint is "It is the doing, not the done" ("Yarrow" by Charles de Lint). Some need others to keep tabs on them, since they "cheat" if they are the only ones involved. Some use treats for motivation - a chocolate praline, a new pair of shoes, going out to dinner, taking a trip, having a bath, buying something they've wanted for some time or whatever the case may be. Others use the opposite - threats - for motivation. "If I don't do this, then that will happen/be my punishment." This works for some, but I prefer positive motivational force. Some people are stuck in trying to motivate themselves in one way. We change over time, no matter how long we live or what we do, and therefore, I would advice to occasionally try out another way of motivating yourself. Try keeping it positive, encouraging and, well, motivational. If it's a chore, it's not motivation. Find what works, think your life through. And do not shy away from unpleasant realisations or hard decisions, questions and suchlike. Motivation is a powerful force, so use it as such. Combine many ways, or use only one. What are your thoughts on motivation? What is your personal way of being/becoming motivated, or for motivating yourself or others? Do you have some example of what has worked, and what has not worked?