Motivation is a funny thing. Sometimes you have it, and sometimes you don’t. For the things that are considered “hard,” more often than not you don’t have the motivation to get it going. In these instances, you just have to fake it til you make it and just show up. Whether that be for a tough workout or merely just getting out of bed in the morning. Sometimes I wake up and don’t feel like getting up, but if I just get myself moving I get going.  On those days when motivation is lacking and I feel like going off in all directions without achieving a result, I take stock of my day and write down a list of things that I need to get done. I then attack the thing that I consider I can confront in that moment and get that done. Nothing more satisfying in my opinion than marking something off as a done! Then you start to build momentum and you own the day, rather than the day owning you. So a lot of times you may not feel like doing that thing or taking that extra step on a garment to get it just right or improve it ever so slightly, but those are the things that add up. And the more of those, the more special the product becomes and the better the quality too. Whenever I find something that needs to be fixed or a problem with something, I get a little anxious, as I want to attack it right then and there. I see those as opportunities and I want them fixed, and I know they will bear fruit in an even better product. After 12 years or so of doing that, I think we have developed and evolved a product that is the best it can be for this moment and something I strive to make even better on the next one.

My motto is: keep moving forward. And that has kept us going all these years and even just in my day-to-day too. Do that 4 mile run. Throw in that extra workout, make your bed in the morning, take the trash out and take care of your quarters. These all add up to success in my view, as they clear my head of clutter and things that I need to do and allow me to focus on the day, focus on the task at hand and really get results in life. I am sure a lot of successful people will agree with that. Sometimes doing what is hard rather than what is comfortable will bear more fruit and, in the long run, will become the norm as you build up that resilience and discipline and will stand you in good stead to achieve your goals in life. I recall a trainer I had when I played Rugby League, legendary trainer he was, I recall him telling me and the other players in the gym that the clean and press and the squats were two exercises that you don’t see a lot of people doing in the gym because they are the hardest, but in that they get results. So when I’d go to the gym, I made sure to do those “hard” exercises. And it was that mental toughness of not letting myself down that I knew would bear fruit. When you are trying to succeed, you can’t just expect to do the bare minimum and succeed. The likes of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan did what was necessary and beyond. You have to think beyond the limit to get anywhere in life! That is just my take on it.