There are days I want to stay in bed and rot. I don’t want to work, hit the gym, learn or speak to anyone. I just want to lie there, scroll, and let the world pass me by. After one particular break-up, I was distraught. I remember a week went by and I only ever left my room to eat or use the bathroom. My life wasn’t how I wanted and I was disappointed in the person I had become. What got me out of that room wasn’t motivation — it was my why. I wanted to become someone I was proud of. Staying in bed wasn’t going to get me there.

Bed rotting used to be a common habit. Not anymore.

When you’re tired, unmotivated, stressed or anxious it can be easy to tell yourself “let’s not do it today.” Your brain isn’t wrong for thinking this — it would genuinely be easier to relax and recover than to push through. The problem is that letting yourself down gently costs you the results you’re chasing.

On days like this you need to remind yourself of your “why.”

What is the “Why”?

Everybody’s why is different. For the groom trying to lose weight before his wedding, his why might be the photos he’ll take that day — ones he can look back on for years. For the single mother of three trying to save money for her kids’ tuition, her why might be making sure they get the same opportunities as everyone else.

Essentially, your why is your reason for putting in the work. What motivates you to sacrifice and suffer a little now? What gets you up in the morning and makes you want to succeed? When you’re motivated, your why feels obvious — it’s why most people are motivated to hit the gym on New Year’s Day. Their why typically revolves around being fitter than they were last year.

Using your Why

Understanding your why matters, but you also need to actually use it to keep pushing towards your goal. When you know your why, it helps you stay strong when it counts. When you don’t feel like getting up at 5am and going for a run, remind yourself why you’re doing it. What’s driving you to succeed? Is a bit more rest really worth sacrificing that goal for? Probably not — let that be the fuel that keeps you going.

When you know why you’re doing something, chasing your ambitions gets a whole lot easier.

- Nate