Many times, people ask me where I'm motivated to keep myself in shape, to get better, or how I can get in to my diet again and get ready for the competition. Before explaining how I do it, I will try to clarify what the motivation is. The best comparison will be about the fuel in the combustion engine. You do not have gasoline, the engine is not working. You have few octaves, the engine does not work at full power. It would be best to have a full tank of rocket fuel, but where to take it?

The motivation is divided into short and long term. If we have a little weaker will, short-term motivation is the clue to reach the long-term goal. It is the one that excites us very quickly, but it rarely lasts for a long time. We will think of a goal and at that moment we would do anything. For example, we decide that we want to lose weight, because the first sun comes out and the summer is coming. We will buy all possible nutritional supplements, buy a membership to gym and of course a solarium and last, but not least, make special workout and meal plan from the trainer with the highest number of followers that Facebook has recommend us. It will take a few days, however, the weather will get a little worse, and this idea does not seem to be so urgent and this idea is going to be lost. In order to avoid this effect, we should set short-term goals. In a week I will lose 1 kg, In my next workout I will do in the same workout with the same weight of 2 repetitions more, in 10 days I will lose 2cm in my waist, there are so many options. The goal in the short term will help us keep our attention on final result which we want to achieve.

I just want to say that we should do it because we love it not because we have to do it. If we really have to do it just because someone else want us to do it, it will not work at all and it will not last long. Choose the activities you like. I do not like a stationary bike? I'm not going to sit there, I'd rather go run outside etc. The result will come faster and we will feel better about it.

When I was thinking about what had pushed me for years, I realized that it was the day-to-day workout that I really like. Every workout is a new challenge for me to move my borders. I have always tried to overcome the activity of the last workout. When we think about all the things together, we realize what progress we have made over a longer period of time. For me it was the vision of winning the competition. If I said that I am just going to look there and we'll see how it turns out, I would certainly not be so persistent, so strict on myself. I was going there to win. That kept me all the time guided in the right direction.

From time to time, everyone gets to some minor crisis or hesitation. Here is a good idea why I actually started. What was that initial idea, or the idea for which I had decided to do something. This is the long-term motivation, that is the biggest goal I had at the beginning. I have done so much, now I can not just let it go.

It is said that you do not have to make big goals, because we can avoid disappointment. I do not agree with this. We should not think in small. It is necessary to set a big goal and to determine the plan, which I will get to the prosperous place, slow down, small steps. Step by step. Character change, either muscle gain, or weight loss is not a matter of a few days or weeks. You have to be patient and do mainly what we enjoy. The result will come sooner or later.

Stefan Havlik

professional bodybuilder