The answer is always you

What drives you? I mean really drives you? What (or who?) is your motivation to do what you do every day? A question I ask myself a lot lately. Things are getting more heavy. I’m only six weeks away from my first fitness competition and every week I’m eating less calories (coach is taking my carbs away), am I upping my cardio (a bit) and still hitting the gym seven days a week (going strong). And for what? The answer is me.

Photoshop
I remember when I was a little girl (yes, I once was) I always wanted to look like the skinny girls in the magazine. The ones that are photoshopped and not even look like the girls in the magazine. I couldn’t care less, I too needed to look like them. I’ve done some pretty stupid shit to get ‘skinny’ and I’m definitely not proud of it.

Ever since I started weight training (and got actually good at it), things changed. My body changed for the good cause (not so skinny now), but more important: I changed mentally. I got stronger. Well yeah, in the I-lift-heavy-kinda way stronger but also in the hey-I’m-doing this-for-me-kinda way stronger. I can tell you, that last one feels pretty awesome. Every day I’m training to become an even better version of myself. To speak in quotes sounds real corny I know, but I actually enjoy looking in the mirror and smile at myself because I know that the way I look is the way I wánt to look. And because of what I wanted to do. Not because somebody else said so or because some dude photoshopped the fat of my back. I knew from the very beginning of this fit journey - as I like to call it - the answer to the question ‘who are you doing this for’ should always be ‘me’.

Like what you see
Moreover, I get this ‘what are you doing look’ every day. I can actually read the ‘why’ in people’s eyes. Or worse. And you know what, I’m not explaining myself anymore. Because I know I am doing this for me, myself and I. I fight my own battles. In the gym. Just me and the weights. They make me want to improve myself. They are the ones that make me look in the mirror and actually liking what I see. They make me a stronger woman, both psychically and mentally.

I really hope that you can say the same when you look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself the exact same question. Every dream, every little thought, every step you take towards your goals; the reason why you are doing it should always be you. Whether it’s a fitness competition, losing ten pounds, becoming more fit, running those ten miles or to actually switch jobs and start doing what you really love. Who cares, you go get it. Now.

So close your eyes and ask yourself: what drives you? And I mean, what really drives you? I think you know what the answer should be. Because in the end, you are your own competition.