Most people think that internal motivation is the only type that matters, but the reality is, both types of motivation — internal and external — have benefits. If you want to maximize your motivation, use both: Start by participating in sports because you enjoy it. Choose a sport that you love and have some talent for. Then, when you need to, use external rewards to supplement your efforts.
Knowing your own personal motivations
There are many high school and college student-athletes whose motivation drops at times because they have so many responsibilities and commitments. For example, there are classes, travel, early morning workouts, time away from school, mental training, trying to have a social life, limited sleep — no wonder motivation is dropping. They are simply tired! It is not because you do not enjoy competing in your sport, it is more because your energy is being sapped by these other things.
Assessing and Understanding Your Current Motivation Level
You can’t improve your motivation unless you have a way of measuring where your motivation is currently and understanding why it is where it is. In this section, we give you the tools you need to assess your current motivation level, and give you some reasons your motivation level may be lower than you’d like.
Measuring your motivation
Measure and track your motivation over time by logging it in a performance journal. After every practice, simply assign a number from 1 to 5 (with 1 being low and 5 being high) to your level of motivation. If you notice many 4s and 5s, you’re experiencing high levels of motivation. If you notice many 1s and 2s, your motivation is waning.
You can also ask your coaches and teammates if they’ve noticed any drop in your motivation during practice and competition. Try to take to heart their opinions, and keep in mind that they want what’s best for you.
Making sense of your motivation
If you’re consistently rating your motivation with 1s or 2s, you want to figure out why you’re lacking in motivation. Start by considering your love of the sport. How much do you really enjoy your sport — not just hanging out with your teammates or making your parents proud, but actually playing the sport itself? Be honest with yourself.
If you really love your sport, you enjoy working hard to get better, and you want to play at higher levels, you’re probably internally motivated.
If you have a high level of internal motivation and you’re currently experiencing a drop in motivation, you need to explore potential causes, such as the following:
Physical fatigue: You may be physically tired or just plain exhausted. Participating in sports requires tremendous physical exertion on a daily basis for most of the year. If you’re run down, and your muscles and body are tired, that drop in energy can be the cause of your dwindling motivation. If you’re in the middle of the season, try taking a day off; in the off-season, take off even more time. Give your body a chance to rest, and you may find your motivation increasing.
Underperforming: Maybe your motivation is high or relatively high, but you are not getting the results you desire or expect. This is a good time to seek out others’ perspectives to get feedback and learn possible ways to try something new or different.
Lack of sleep: Are you getting enough sleep? Believe it or not, something as simple as a lack of sleep can cause decreased motivation and performance. Keep track of how many hours of sleep you’re getting each night and see how that corresponds to your motivation. You may find that you need a solid eight or nine hours to maintain the high motivation you’re after.
Diet: Are you eating right to fuel your body and mind for the exertion your sport requires? Changes in diet, especially an increase in fatty or sugar-filled foods, can dramatically affect mental alertness and motivation levels.
Overall health: If you’re sick — whether with a cold or flu, or because you’re iron deficient or experiencing some other ailment — your motivation can decrease. If you’re sure you’re eating right and getting enough rest, and you’ve ruled out the other possible causes of waning motivation, make an appointment with your doctor for a checkup.
Confidence: Maybe you’re experiencing a crisis of confidence — you’re struggling in your belief to perform certain parts of your sport. If so, accept that state of mind, and go back to basics where you can begin to develop confidence in yourself again. Start with very finite and specific skills — this strategy can build confidence, which, in turn, will increase motivation. (For more on confidence in sports, turn to Chapter 5.)
Burnout: Because sports typically are year-round and athletes are specializing in one sport earlier in their lives and playing that one sport exclusively, it’s natural for them to become bored and disenchanted occasionally. It may be time for you to get away from your sport, even just for a few days. Try playing another sport for a few days — run if you’re a swimmer, swim if you’re a runner, shoot hoops if you’re a tennis player, play golf if you’re a basketball player, and so on. Just getting some time away from your sport can help increase your motivation. (For more information on combating burnout, see “When you’re burned out,” later in this chapter.)
You may be experiencing a drop in motivation for some other reason. Maybe you aren’t improving as you’d hoped. Maybe you aren’t getting the playing time you want. Maybe your team is losing and the whole team is down. Or maybe you have a poor relationship with your coach. The solution to all these issues is to acknowledge them and then assess what you do and don’t have control over, focusing on what you can control and setting aside what you can’t.
Building an effective motivation plan
To build your own motivation, you need a plan. And to come up with a plan, you need to take a little time to figure out where your motivation currently sits. To do this, take some time and ponder the following questions:
