So, finding my primary “Why” was easy. There were plenty of other “Why’s” to motivate me – I wanted to improve my health. A well-designed weight training regimen supported better health outcomes. And I genuinely liked lifting heavy-ass weights.
But even the most engrained “why” can’t get us past a stall in our progress or a plateau. Such times when we see no progress – be it in training, career development, personal finance skills, or relationship goals – stalled progress can erode the importance of our initial “why.”
The question “Why am I doing this?” becomes less affirmative and more existential.
Finding our “How” is essential to fighting off roadblocks. Deepening our knowledge base, experimenting intelligently, and understanding ourselves and our responses to the stimulus we undertake in the hopes of driving long-term adaptations, all these activities are key to maintaining momentum. And momentum fuels motivation.
We need to know our “Why” to give us the motivation in finding our “How.” As I languished through the years of a deadlift that was stuck at just over 400 pounds, a max that would not budge no matter what I tried, I leaned on my “Why” heavily. But I eventually needed to focus on my “How,” or I may have given up.
How do I increase the stimulus without increasing my fatigue?
How does my body respond to a training cycle and changes in volume and intensity?
How do I squeeze another few sets into an already overwhelming week?
How do I figure out what experts to listen to, who can help me, and who is a quack?
Finding the answers to these “How” questions brought me through plateaus and helped me rediscover what was enjoyable about training in the first place. Let’s give the quest for the Why the attention it deserves, but also keep in mind that the search for the How will keep us moving towards our goals and values.
