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Cause sometimes you just feel tired…you feel weak
And when you feel weak you feel like you wanna just give up.
But you gotta search within you…you gotta find that inner strength
And just pull that sh*t out of you and get that motivation to not give up
And not be a quitter…no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse.
How Bad Do You Want It?
Table of Contents
Everyone wants to do stuff. Lots of people want to get in shape, do great things, travel the world, live an adventure and tell a good story with their life, but there’s a big difference between saying you want something and wanting something bad enough to do something about it.
I got a ton of emails after posting last week’s case study on my six pack experiment on people wanting private coaching to do what I did. Almost every conversation went something like this:
When do you want to start?
Well, this week would work, but I’m not quite ready.
Okay, well how bout next week?
Well, I have a party coming up that week…so that wouldn’t work, maybe the week after – or the week after that.
The problem is lots of people want to lose weight, get ripped and look good naked, but they don’t want to have to work. They “want it bad”, but they don’t want it bad enough to start immediately and make the changes they need to in order to succeed. They don’t really want it…they just kinda want it.
A few months ago, a two-part video titled, “How Bad Do You Want It?” made the rounds on the internet. Take 5 minutes to watch the most inspirational thing you’ll see all day.
How Bad Do You Want It? Pt. 1
How bad do you want it?
You don’t want it badder than you want to party.
You don’t want it as bad as you want to be cool.
Most of you don’t want success as much as you want to sleep!
“When you want to succeed as bad as you wanna breathe then you will be successful.”
How Bad Do You Want It? Pt. 2
This is the time to test your heart – to test your limits! This is the PART where you reinvent yourself. It’s about pushing yourself beyond the limits…it’s about perfecting the you – not just doing more, not just being better, but finding your best.
Do you really want it or do you just kinda want it?
How To Know If You Just Kinda Want It:
You might say you want it, but you just kinda want it. You can tell because
- When it’s time to cheat, you give in.
- When it stops being easy, you give up.
- As soon as things get uncomfortable, you go searching for something easier.
If there’s an acceptable excuse, you take it. The easy way – you find it. You stop at good enough and level off when it seems “reasonable.” You get suckered into cheats, hacks and “shortcuts” when the biggest shortcut of all is hours and hours of unnoticed, unsexy and unappreciated work.
That’s what most people do and when you do what most people do, you get what most people get. But, that’s the moment you get the chance for separation. That’s the moment when, if you decide to keep going, not give up and seek out perfection, you create distance between yourself and “average.” But how bad do you really want it?
You say you want it, but you really only kinda want it.
You say you want to get in shape, but not as bad as you want to
- party with your friends
- eat whatever it is your co-workers brought in for a snack
- drag your butt out of bed and run sprints
You say you want to start your own business, but not as bad as you want to
- read one more business book about it
- waste time on twitter
- stay up late and wake up early to work on it
You say you want to do something impossible, but not as much as you want to
- wait to find the “perfect” thing to start on
- watch one more episode of that funny tv show
- live vicariously through others and watch someone else do it
Stop it. Live vicariously through yourself.
If you want to do something, just freaking do it already.
— Joel Runyon (@joelrunyon) May 2, 2012
How to Know If You Really Want It:
You decide to do something and don’t let anything stop you. Period. You start now, because you don’t know if you’ve got tomorrow.
In other words:
When you want to succeed as much as you want to breathe.
That is when you’ll succeed.
When do you want to start?
When the answer changes from “next week” to “yesterday”: that’s when you know you’re on your way.
It’s not easy to do the impossible (that’s why it’s impossible). When you do something that’s never been done before, it will be hard. But if you conceive it, you can do it. It all comes down to one question:
How bad do you want it?
If you’re interested in getting in incredible shape are willing to put in work, sign up here for more information about Imposible Abs.
Thanks, I needed that today!
Well said as usual, Joel.
Gotta love ET! I’m surprised his name wasn’t mentioned in the article. Dude is the definition of motivation.
He has a mixtape out as well… snippets from his outstanding speeches… very little music. It’s good stuff. http://etinspires.com/mixtapes.html Perfect for rides in the car.
Do work.
Sean, I’ve listened to ET’s mixtape everyday since the June 1st release date. Dude is truly amazing.
Fantastic! I just started something a few days ago and i’ll keep coming back to this post! It’s pretty awesome Joel. WDS lit a fire bigger than ever…just you wait!
😉
Just heard you on radio enso too. GREAT interview!
I went paleo Monday, July 30th, immediately after reading your blog post and have worked out everyday as well. Committed for 8 weeks. Yep, I want it.
What he said.
I’m in bed reading this as a bedtime story and the guy in the video is telling me not to go to sleep. I’m conflicted. I wouldn’t be in bed if I didn’t promise a friend I’d go “running” with her early morning. And I’m not a runner. Maybe I won’t stop as much in the AM after reading this post. : )
Priya, the man in the video who is speaking spoke about what he truly means by no sleep. He doesn’t necessarily mean don’t ever go to sleep but to take advantage of each 24 hours that you are given. Here is the YouTube version from his mixtape explaining that part: http://youtu.be/raTlvN2k8Xc and I also recommend listening to his speech 24: http://youtu.be/wVT5qUcP9LM
I loved the article that you posted on the six pack and the follow up on how you pushed yourself to get there. I’ve been a follower of the site for a while after hearing about it from Artofmanliness. The with your six pack article I was turned onto nerdfitness(alright site but not great) which then turned me onto marksdailyapple. Marks daily apple is a great site and when I combined your site with his it’s everything I need to get me going. Marks has the research and detailed analysis of the Paleo diet as well as other health related things. And yours has the no BS get up and move perspective I need at times. Thanks for everything. I’ve now gone full paleo, and I’ve turned my wife onto it (who is a RN by the way and approves of the diet so screw you nutritionist that think it’s crap). Two weeks in and I’m feeling better already, have more energy, sleep better and eat less surprisingly enough while staying full for longer. Keep up the good work Joel. I’ll be a reader for the as long as I have eyes to read with!
Matt – you and I seem to have traveled the exact same path. I have been a loyal follower of MarksDailyApple for over a year now, Ive just recently (and check quite often) ArtOfManliness, and I stumbled on Joel’s blog this morning, after a post on facebook from LeanMachineNYC (check them out on FB). I am about 80% Paleo..as Mark suggests the 80/20 principle. Also, I will be marrying my beautiful RN that also agrees with the diet! But I would like to commit to the 8 week challenge and fully develop my ‘6 pack’. I have been training for and racing triathlons right at 3 years now. I think Joel’s blong (especially this post today) along with the other mentioned blogs are a recipe’ for greatness in life/business/helth and wellness. Nice to chat with you Matt Y
This is cold shower day 3 for me and I’ve just discovered how to make the shower so cold that my fingers tingle.
YES. I WANT IT. LIFE – I want to be truly alive on this planet, in this body, not cowering in fear. Seriously Joel, if you could see where my fearful ego mind has had me living in recent months, you’d understand that your work couldn’t have come along at a better time for me. Tonight I’m celebrating a butt-kicking bike ride that my personal trainer would be proud of. I’m choosing to let myself come back to life.
My impossible thing that I’m currently working towards – gaining gold time on a cycling event – is a step closer to becoming real. Yet just a few short weeks ago I was in relapse with an eating disorder, a dark cloud hanging over my life, my spirit downtrodden and despair swamping me on a daily basis.
Thank you Joel and everyone who has the guts to walk this path.
Elloa 🙂
This post kicked my ass. Started writing that form that I’ve been delaying for a week now. Thanks Joel.
Very inspiring Joel. No way I can sleep in late tomorrow! Thank you!
Great Reminder that success is all about consistently working at you want everyday. Awesome post Joel!
When you kinda want it you don’t really want it. You think you should want it… but you don’t. You inject others values onto yourself and live a life kinda wanting to do things that you don’t really want to do. You must know yourself and accept yourself for who you truly are. Only then can you change… but by then, you may not want to.
How can I start working out “yesterday”…?
Best post I’ve read (and watched) so far this year, hands down!
This is AMAZING!! Great blog! Great motivation! Thank you Joel!!!
Loved the article. Noticed a broken link here: “You say you want to get in shape, but not as bad as you want to”
Honestly, these work outs are amazing and props to you! I am in the world of entrepreneurship and I have realized that life is truly about going after what you want to get it. You cannot sit there and wish on a star to get things, you have to want it real bad!
I just found Joel Runyon website. This is powerful stuff. I have studied personal development almost five year including countless Brian Tracy books, Tony Robbins live events etc. I would listen and read very closely what Joel have to say.
Mikko
Great article Joel!
I’ve seen this video couple of times before and it’s beyond inspirational.
Another interesting thing I noticed is that even Sir Ken Robinson tried to explain the difference of wanting something passionately as opposed to kinda want it.
He said, and sorry for my bad quotation: People are often times in love with the idea of being or becoming something. They don’t want it, they kinda want it. Like when someone says that he wants to be a great piano player. He is in love with the idea of it, how it sounds. When the truth of the matter is that right after he becomes aware of all the practice that needs to be done and all the sacrifice, quitting is the next thing.
We truly want something the moment we are prepared to do all that is needed, and not only that but also enjoy the whole ride.
Hi, first I’m sorry, I’m Spanish, my English is not good. I agree with what you say in this post three years ago lost weight 25 kg, now I’ve gained back and no way to get to have the same attitude then … What I can do? I never want to be like a whale …
Have you done a post on how to say “NO” to things you think you should want, but don’t? It seems like there’s some serious psychology there to explore.
Also, is it safe to assume that it’s normal to really want something most of the time, but not always? The further I get into things, the more I realize the importance of taking short breaks from my own ambitions, if only so I can find them (my ambitions) again later.
Just pontificating in your comments section, so forgive the rambling text. It’s a sign this article is working as intended 🙂
I remembered listening to Eric back in High School. It totally changed the way I approached bodybuilding.
Seven years later, I went from being the fat kid of the class, to becoming a natural physique model. It’s funny how much one can change during life.
This article is very motivational. We all need to keep in mind that great things have to be worked for. It needs dedication, time and effort. If it’s easy, then it won’t be worth having. Easy come, easy go, as they say.
I find this article extremely helpful.
Many people need convenient storage space to keep their goals in order to always maintain focus.
Also last year I had goals, only I sometimes lost focus and sometimes forgot.But when I acquired my impossible list, it became easier to control the targets, so my bar was higher.It is necessary to thank Joel Runyon for his work, and the Impossible List as the fruits of his hard work.
Thank you very much.
I often read articles but this is one of the best articles that I have read in recent times. How badly I want to succeed is worthy only when I hustle hard.