Finding Your Why: What Are You Showing Up For?

I’ve been thinking about the reasons behind the things I keep making time for.

Why do I want to train? Why do I want to eat well? What am I hoping all of that effort helps me do?

There’s usually an easy answer at first. A race, a goal, wanting to feel stronger, wanting to feel better in your body. Those are real reasons. But I think it helps to spend a little more time with the question.

What do you want that strength, energy, or confidence to give you?

For me, I love having something to work toward. Running, boxing, lifting—each gives me a different challenge. I like seeing what I can do when I commit to something, and I like having things I’m still learning.

But I also want to be able to enjoy the life around all of that.

I want energy for my clients. I want to be present with the people I care about. I want to do things with my sister, take Biggie out, try something new, and have room for the parts of my life that don’t involve a workout.

I want to feel good in my body and trust it. I want to feel capable when something is hard.

Those reasons make taking care of myself feel more connected to my actual life. They also give me something to come back to when I’m tired or my schedule is busy.

Because honestly, motivation isn’t always going to be there. Even when you love training, there are days when it’s another thing you have to make time for. Knowing why it matters can help you decide how to show up that day.

Sometimes that means doing the workout you planned. Sometimes it means adjusting it, eating a proper meal, or getting the sleep you need. If my reason is to take care of myself and keep doing the things I love, I need to consider what will support that over time.

That’s something I’m still learning to balance.

As a coach, I think this is a useful conversation to have beyond asking someone what their fitness goal is. If you want to get stronger, what would being stronger help you do? If you want more energy, where do you want to spend it?

Maybe you want to feel more comfortable walking into a gym. Maybe you want to take on a race that scares you a little. Maybe you want to keep up with your kids, explore somewhere new, or have more energy after work.

It can also be as simple as wanting some time for yourself. An hour when you get to focus on your body and do something that feels good.

Your reason doesn’t have to sound impressive to anyone else. It needs to mean something to you.

Try finishing this sentence: “I want to take care of my body so I can…”

Then make the answer specific. What would that look like in your week? What would you have more room to experience?

And let that answer change if it needs to. A goal that mattered a year ago might not be the thing you need right now. You can choose a new challenge or put more attention toward feeling steady in your everyday life.

I still have goals I want to chase. I also want to remember why I’m chasing them, and whether the way I’m doing it supports the life I want.

That’s the question I want to keep coming back to: what am I showing up for?