Motivation goes away after a while. You can only ride that high for a certain amount of time. Same as any aspect of life, the honeymoon phase always goes away. That's when you learn if you just love something or if you LIVE something.

Powerlifting has gone through this cycle many times with me, and most likely has for you too. That is when discipline outweighs the motivation you have, and you need to be an adult and realize that even if you don't want it right at that moment, the end goal has not changed. Just because dieting is hard, does not mean a weight class goal has changed. It is simply your mindset. And if you learn to control your mindset, you can control practically any aspect of your life.

I enjoy meditating and thinking mindfully about WHY I am doing the things that I do. It seems crazy to me, that I choose to spend close to half of my waking hours in a gym, traveling to a gym, or WRITING or SPEAKING about the gym. And it very well might be crazy, but this is when I need to remember why I do this. I want to be the best powerlifter in the world, or be remembered as one of the best ever. I want to leave a legacy of strength AND leave a lasting legacy of benefit to anyone I interact with throughout my career. There is a reason I feel so emblazoned when I think of the motto of "Live, Learn, and Pass On". As that is how I live every aspect of my life.

I am not a perfect person as I have clearly stated before. I fail a lot more than I succeed as will most of you. I do however try to realize this, and proceed anyway. That is what it means to be a professional and what it means to be remembered for who you are and what you do.

Motivation won't always be there. But you will be left after all of those temporary feelings fade away. It's a matter of investing in yourself, or investing in the temporary pleasures of those feelings. Cheat, or remain. Remember why, or fade away.

The goal remains and so do I. May will be here soon.