On Motivation & Discipline

We all know what motivation is like right? I remember listing down goals whether it be financial, physical or spiritual. It feels great to be motivated to save money, to run every morning, and to always set time to read the bible. However, this feeling tends to die down, but should our goals die down as well?

Of course not!

Many people blame their lack of motivation for not reaching their personal goals. Whatever goal you may have in life, there’s that motivation that gets you going in the first place. While getting “motivated” is wonderful, I believe that it is more so a case of Discipline rather than motivation.

For me, motivation is a feeling, a force. It is there to hype you up and get you to set goals and make you ambitious. But if you are motivated by deeper and more inspiring things, well, I think your motivation will make you disciplined and get you to that finish line. But this is not the case for many people, some people can only get motivated for the first two weeks and forget why they even wanted to reach a goal in the first place. Some easily get discouraged when they don’t see the results they expect to see.

This is where Discipline comes, discipline is not a feeling. It’s a decision and a mindset. It is a result of motivation and determination, you are determined so bad you become disciplined. Discipline is when you do the things you’re supposed to do even when you don’t feel like it. When motivation goes, discipline remains. It is when you continue to persevere even when you can’t see any results. Discipline is an ingredient to Endurance.

More than running, I relate this with my spiritual life. As a Christian I deem it very important to spend time with God in prayer and meditation on His Word. But I tend to fail every now and then, especially when life gets “busy”. When other things pile up before me, I forget about my priorities and tend to throw myself all over the work that needs to be done. This shows that I lack discipline. Other times I would pray about a specific matter, but after a few days of not seeing the Intervention of God I would eventually give up. Again, this shows that I lack discipline. I tend to give up when I don’t see results and don’t get answers, which is very WRONG.

I believe that as a Christian I should be embracing Discipline all the more. It is very important to base my relationship with God not on my “feelings” but on His Word. Our feelings go high and low, they disappear and appear, but not the Word of God. His Word is true and stands firm through the ages. This is why we need not to depend on how we “feel” when it comes to Christianity. Feelings are good, but it is not the foundation of Christian Faith. I also have learned that it is more important to pray in times when you don’t feel like praying!

I realized the importance of Discipline all the more today when I chose to run despite the fact that I woke up late. Normally I would just say “Takbo nalang ako bukas” (I’ll just run tomorrow) but today I did not, I realized that today I am supposed to RUN, then I should RUN. Even though I did not feel like running, I still did! And now, I feel fulfilled.

Let us continue to be faithful and be disciplined, and run heavenward without wavering.

“ So let us not get tire of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity , we should do good to everyone – especially to those in the family of faith” Galatians 6:9-10

5 Reasons why you gotta have a Running Buddy

There are days when motivation expires and you no longer have that drive that helped you put on your running shoes last week. There are times when you just feel like sleeping a little longer and have a lazy day. But when you have a Running Buddy you will put those running shoes on whether you like it or not. 

Here are the top 5 reasons why you have to start running with a friend:

1. THEY WILL CHALLENGE YOU... A LOT.

 Looking back now, I probably wouldn't have gone any farther than 5 Kilometers if it weren't for my running pal. When you're in it as a team, your ambitions tend to reach a higher level and you start to dream of greater possibilities and greater goals. This is when Running becomes not just an effort to lose weight but a dream that you want to achieve. 

2. YOU WILL BEGIN TO APPLY THE WORDS "JUST DO IT"

There are definitely days when i just don't feel like running, but I always have the ability to overcome laziness whenever I get a text message at 5 in the morning saying "Goodmorning Trish, see you!" . That's when I know that my friend is waiting for me all dressed up in her running gear. This is when "JUST DO IT" became not just a motto but a lifestyle.

3. YOU CAN TRAIN HARDER & BETTER.

Sometimes I feel like my friend runs so much faster than I do. But because we are in it together, I can't help but follow her pace. In the end I am surprised that my speed has improved and I see better results. I've been in so many situations where in I would normally give up if I was on my own, but having a partner who counts on me helps a lot in my mental conditioning. Thanks for my running buddy who inspires me to push harder! 

4. YOU CAN GAIN MORE KNOWLEDGE.

I read a lot and do a lot of research when it comes to running, but there are some things that I do not know of. Having a running buddy helped me in gaining more knowledge, tips, facts etc. about running. It is good to exchange knowledge and stories of individual experiences with your partner. 

5. THEY WILL EVENTUALLY BECOME ONE OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS.

Well, I am fortunate enough to have found a friend who happens to love running. But ever since the two of us partnered together as runners our relationship just got to a whole new level of laughter, joy, struggles and other forms or hilariousness. She's that one person who I don't care about seeing me early in the morning with puffy eyes and whom I don't mind seeing me sweat and tired. I don't only have a running partner but a best friend as well :)

If you don't have any running buddies, why don't you go and try to ask your friends out for a run? You'll be surprised to see just how helpful it is to have someone run with you!

*P.S. This would all be impossible it weren't for my running buddy Katrina, and all the other friends whom I have ran with in the past. Keep running you guys!

WHY I RUN

It all started in 2011 when I began feeling uncomfortable in my growing body. I was always the skinny girl in high school who was envied by my classmates because of my ability to eat so much and not gain weight. Then in College, we all realized that I was also subject to the horrors of gaining weight. And so in my attempt to lose the weight I began joining my dad and my friends in running.

But despite my motivation I did not see the results that I wanted to see. Instead I became bigger and bigger. But I also became a better runner, being able to run a maximum of 10 kilometers. Now running is not synonymous to “my attempt at weight loss” but “lifestyle”. Although I still want to lose weight, the motivation has changed. Now its all about reaching personal goals, and seeing the world by racing everywhere possible.

I can say that I am pretty comfortable in my body even though most people regard me as fat. I realized that fat doesn't mean you're not beautiful. And beauty is more than just fitting in skinny jeans. Its all about being confident and being healthy.

In addition, running has helped me so much in reflecting about life. Its amazing how God speaks to me while I run. And I hope to share them all here too. After all, the race we run physically will soon come to an end. Medals are all temporary, what really is important is that we run a race towards a greater and eternal prize. In this race it doesn’t matter if you run slowly, what matters is that you RUN. I am on a race towards a heavenly prize, and this is WHY I RUN.