IGX

... What does it mean to you and where do you find it? For me, it can be something as simple as movie training montage or a good song. I also happen to have a mom who has defeated cancer and battles mightily with her mental illness, yet never complains. Ever. That always give me what I need.

For me, inspiration means fuel. Maybe I don’t want to workout, or I don’t want to workout hard. Then you add the inspiration.

Some things….

* I love exercising
* I love surfing and exercising correctly helps me surf better
* For my personal training clients
* For the family who doesn’t believe in me
* For the family that does
* One guy in particular who bullied me off the basketball court in grade school and did a couple other shitty things, plus assorted people that have fucked with me when I was minding my own business
* Beautiful women

EDIT: what got me started was training montages…Bruce Lee, Van Damme, Stallone, Schwarzenegger, etc.

This is a case of what you like vs. what works. I get inspired but that hasn't usually led to sustained effort, and even when it did it usually wasn't smart effort. I was addicted to training montages and I like a good movie speech. But has that led to me actually doing the right things? No. Probably the only inspiration that's actually worked was seeing people I knew personally do impressive things. Actually seeing them do it in person. I got into riding trails by knowing a phenomenal rider. Seeing him bomb trails got me inspired to try to do that. And on a few occasions, I could. Three times, in fact -- that's how many times I was able to lock in behind him on a tokenical* descent and stay with him. And he would stop at the top of the next rise to see where I was and I was right there. That was a great feeling.

To break down what seems to actually work for me:

I have to see someone really good in person.
I have to know them a little at least.
I have to have regular in person doses of seeing people do that thing at an impressive level.
I have to have the god given talent to do that thing well.
I have to get good coaching. In addition to being a great rider that guy was a good teacher.

* a downhill so crazy that you have to toke up to be able to do it.

Precisely the kind of insights I was looking for. Thanks, gents.

My default pattern is "everyone seems to be better than me" so an Instagram scroll or seeing lifters, designers (people in the areas I live and work in) doing good things tends to light the fire in me.

"Perhaps my best years are gone. When there was a chance of happiness. But I wouldn't want them back. Not for the fire in me now." - Samuel Beckett

Listen to how much this guy did and get inspired. Or depressed, depending on your inclination.