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Frustrated 04-06-2006 04:47 PM

motivation
 
Hey Y'all

Im a young, female teenager that is injury prone. In the last 6 months I have had so many injurys aikido and not aikido related, not to mention there's a lot of bad and good things going on in my life at the moment, that i havent been able to train much at all.
Lately I have been finding it hard to just make the effort to go to aikido and once I'm there, to actually do it. I've lost all motivation to really get off my behind and do anything.
Now normally I might think that I'm just loosing interest in Aikido, but I still love it, and this unmotivationalness is not just in Aikido. I'm struggling with my school work, struggling to stay calm and tolerant of other people, especially my family and friends, And generally I'm going to extremes in my emotions. One minute im bouncing around with a big cheesy grin on my face and the next I'm feeling really down in the dumps and feeling like nothings worth it. I've felt like this for years but always Aikido has been like my medication or something, except now I have no motivation to do even that.
Sorry for the long winded background information kind of thing but do any of you know anything that can get me motivated to get back into training and enjoy it? I really do love doing aikido and miss it terribley it's just when it comes to leaving the house to go, I can't be bothered, when it comes to getting changed into my Gi, and training, I can't be bothered and it shows in my performance and in my effort with other people.
A litlle help here?

Arigato Gozaimasu.

Cant remember my log in 04-12-2006 11:07 AM

Re: motivation
 
Realize that you need it more than want it.

Try not to think about what will or will not happen and just get there, the rest will take care of itself.

I feel the same way many times, and would sometimes drive to the dojo, get close and just keep driving! The hardest part is getting there, once you are there, you might as well train.

While you are training however, push yourself so you don't have time to think about anything other than the ground rushing up to meet you, or the fist flying towards your belly, etc...

It is very difficult to calm the mind, but if you catch your brain flying off in a direction you don't want it to go, gather it back up and try again with no judgement. Do it often enough, and I am told it will happen less.

I hope these ramblings help in some way.

Good luck!

Josh Reyer 04-12-2006 02:51 PM

Re: motivation
 
Quote:

Hey Y'all
Now normally I might think that I'm just loosing interest in Aikido, but I still love it, and this unmotivationalness is not just in Aikido. I'm struggling with my school work, struggling to stay calm and tolerant of other people, especially my family and friends, And generally I'm going to extremes in my emotions. One minute im bouncing around with a big cheesy grin on my face and the next I'm feeling really down in the dumps and feeling like nothings worth it. I've felt like this for years but always Aikido has been like my medication or something, except now I have no motivation to do even that.
That is what is typically called "adolescence". Congrats, you're completely normal. :) :D

Quote:

Sorry for the long winded background information kind of thing but do any of you know anything that can get me motivated to get back into training and enjoy it? I really do love doing aikido and miss it terribley it's just when it comes to leaving the house to go, I can't be bothered, when it comes to getting changed into my Gi, and training, I can't be bothered and it shows in my performance and in my effort with other people.
A litlle help here?
In the course of anybody's training, they will reach a moment, a day, a span of time over a year even, where they will not want to train. The thing that needed here is discipline. You have to force yourself.

A couple of ways of doing this are goals, both short term and long term. Something you can focus on. Although people place too much importance on them, ranks can be good for just that kind of thing.

I teach English. Sometimes students lose motivation (it's pretty easy with something as hard as a foreign language). I recommend they try to take English tests like the STEP test, or the TOEIC test. What I tell them, though, is that pass or fail, good score or bad score, the test doesn't mean anything as far as their English ability. The important thing is what they learned by studying for the test. Ranks in martial arts are the same thing. Look at the requirements for the next rank and focus on them. Make them your private study. Then, when and if you reach that rank, don't think of it as meaning anything; just go on to the next group of requirements.

If you really can't be bothered to go through the work of making yourself go, then maybe aikido is not right for you at this time. You might need some time away from it. What you have to consider then is that time doesn't come back. I came to the point where I thought other things were more important than aikido, so I stopped...for ten years. Now I wish I could get those ten years back. That's the gamble.

ruthmc 04-13-2006 04:51 AM

Re: motivation
 
Quote:

Im a young, female teenager that is injury prone. In the last 6 months I have had so many injurys aikido and not aikido related, not to mention there's a lot of bad and good things going on in my life at the moment, that i havent been able to train much at all.
Hi!

Sounds like you need to slow down a little. If you keep getting injuries, that's your body saying to you that it needs a break. During your teenage years your body structure is growing and changing, which means that nerves and muscles are all developing at different rates, which means that your brain and body have to constantly re-adjust to each other. The good news is that it doesn't last for ever and your will find your mind-body integration and co-ordination skills will improve. For now, be kind to yourself and take a step back, slow down until your brain and body are working together. This applies to everything, not just Aikido :)

Quote:

Lately I have been finding it hard to just make the effort to go to aikido and once I'm there, to actually do it.
Ah - good old apathy ;) I think you will find that your energy will come back if you do what I suggest above. Also, do you feel better or worse for having done an Aikido class? If you feel better, then drag yourself out of the house and GO! If you feel consistently worse, then it's time to take a break and re-evaluate.

Quote:

I'm struggling with my school work, struggling to stay calm and tolerant of other people, especially my family and friends, And generally I'm going to extremes in my emotions.
That's OK - you are allowed to be a teenager :) Give yourself some down time where you don't have to be doing anything. Take a 15 minute break in the middle of your school work, then get back to it. Count to 30 when your family and friends are annoying you, then decide what to say. And if you feel like screaming and punching a few pillows, go do that for 5 minutes :)

We all go through these things, you are not alone.

You take care now,

Ruth

Dirk Hanss 04-13-2006 05:36 AM

Re: motivation
 
Quote:

Ruth McWilliam wrote:
Ah - good old apathy ;) I think you will find that your energy will come back if you do what I suggest above. Also, do you feel better or worse for having done an Aikido class? If you feel better, then drag yourself out of the house and GO! If you feel consistently worse, then it's time to take a break and re-evaluate.

Maybeyou could re-evaluate your dojo, not necessarily aikido totally


Quote:

Ruth McWilliam wrote:
And if you feel like screaming and punching a few pillows, go do that for 5 minutes :)

Just to be precise: Ruth said "pillows" not "fellows" !


Best wishes for finding YOUR way

Dirk

Psufencer 04-13-2006 08:03 AM

Re: motivation
 
I hate to admit it, but self-knowledge is important...I'm a fundamentally lazy person, and it's often hard to get myself up and out of the house to train. As has been mentioned before, what I tell myself every time is that even though it's a struggle to get there, once I get to the dojo and start training, I will feel better. By the time I get on the mat, I've forgotten my lethargy. And I always feel worlds better after I've finished a session! That thought is what keeps me getting up and going.

Cheers!

Lucy Smith 04-20-2006 10:54 PM

Re: motivation
 
As a teenager myself, I'll recommend: DON'T STOP TRAINING. You will feel worse. Exercise makes you study better and learning more stuff in less time. You need to go to every class, because the more you loose, the farther away you will feel from Aikido. I don't know how old you are, but maybe you are like 12 or 13, which means: your hips are growing so you need to get used to it and try not to hurt yourself, you are still growing a lot in height (clumsiness here), and well, dear old period. I personally started Aikido 2 months ago, being 16, so that's old buisness for me, but I have witnessed the laziness and lack of interest of two 12 year olds, which has coincided with the start of their period. So maybe you just need to adjust. No reason for stoping your training.
Or maybe you are older and just depressed, in which case you should really make an effort to go to class, 'cause not moving is way worse.
Good luck.

MikeLogan 04-20-2006 11:20 PM

Re: motivation
 
Cant remember my log in said:
Quote:

Realize that you need it more than want it.
I agree with everything else they said, but I might change want and need around. Sometimes there is so much junk we need, like homework, chores, meals even. Doing something that you want is the sugar on top of those needs, and it sounds like you want to do aikido even as much as a person your age can benefit from the exercise it will provide.

That said, perhaps you can re-task your training to stuff that excludes joint locks, which is generally the guideline throughout most of adolescense. Or just take more slow ukemi practice, get used to the hard part, the part of every technique, hitting the mat.

Plus, the season is changing. In upstate western NY during winter, I tend to wear my gi under cargoe pants and a wool sweater on my way to class, other wise the idea of cold cloth, and getting onto a cold mat is a serious deterrent. But, spring is springing, at least here.

To close, don't feel any guilt for previous moods regarding getting into the gi and out of the house. The guilty feeling of reporting that "I can't be bothered" is a thought that is stuck around longer than it's usefulness warrants. It gets in the way of future motivation, and it snowballs.

This is why I'm up editing my B.S. thesis at 1:15 in the morning. The guilt at not doing it kept me from starting, and only recently have I been able to drastically re-frame my thinking to get rid of the obsessing. But hey, enough about me and my dilemnas.... :D

SeiserL 04-21-2006 08:15 AM

Re: motivation
 
IMHO, get out of your negative fearful mind and quit trying to "make" yourself and "let" yourself enjoy the training.

Mark Uttech 04-22-2006 10:30 AM

Re: motivation
 
A dojo is (or should be) a place of refuge.


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