Morning Motivation

We must accept finite disappointment,  but never lose infinite hope.

-Martin Luther King Jr.

Hope is a powerful tool for self-motivation. It is the reason that we make certain choices, take certain jobs, build relationships with people, and work to improve ourselves physically and mentally.  We don't know what will come from our choices, but the reason we make them is to see a return on our investment.  Somehow, someway, we will gain or be satisfied with our efforts.  We hope, and that helps us move forward. Hope is only one of many motivators for selfish pursuits and can be trumped quite easily when found wanting. Greed, revenge, hate, and spite can be extremely powerful motivators. Lacking hope, we can quickly replace it with one of these negative emotions to power us forward. The problem is, these cause us to increase our focus internally. If we fail, we only fail ourselves. It's much easier to shoulder that blame when we're the only ones holding us accountable. We replace self-motivation with self-loathing at the drop of a hat.

Hope is the only motivator for selfless action.  There is no guarantee of a return on investment, there is no logical reason for giving up resources or time for others.  We hope that our actions can make a change, we hope that by helping we can influence the lives of others, we hope we can make a difference.  When your main motivation is hope you are no longer the one affected by your actions, but you remain responsible for acting.  Fitness has too long been a selfish pursuit. We can hope for results, but just as easily give up and hurt only ourselves. Imagine feeling that your physical activity could feed a family, cure a disease, provide medical care for a disaster victim, would you keep working? The hope of making a change, the hope that others would do the same, the hope in humanity.  When we work for bigger causes than ourselves we have to believe that we are truly making a difference. That hope is the greatest motivator of all, and when we use that to empower ourselves we can all rise together.

Rise today, live for hope, become a Warrior of Change!!!