You Don't Keep Motivation - You Replace it

A Readiness Series

Part I: Why Motivation Works — At First

I’ve been running since 1977. I cannot remember why I started.

I could invent a story now. Most people do, eventually. But it wouldn’t be honest. It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t life‑changing. I didn’t start running to quit drugs, process trauma, lose weight, or impress anyone. There was no epiphany. I bought a pair of running shoes. I thought races were fun. That’s it.

Over time, the reason dissolved. The practice remained.

That detail matters, because modern endurance culture is built almost entirely on origin stories. We are taught that motivation must be preserved, protected, renewed. Lose it, and the solution is always the same: rediscover your why, reconnect with your pain, summon belief, harden your mindset, tell a better story.

This model works—briefly.

If you’re just starting, motivation is doing real work. Early on, motivation functions as orientation. It helps you choose a direction, test an identity, and commit to something before structure exists.

Research on intrinsic motivation and self‑determination supports this. Curiosity, interest, autonomy, and meaning can initiate behavior effectively. Sometimes the reason is serious—trauma, addiction, illness, loss. Sometimes it’s simple enjoyment. Both are valid.

Sometimes a reason is necessary.

Sometimes it’s lifesaving.

What matters is not why you start. What

matters is understanding what the why can and cannot do.

Motivation is good at initiating behavior. It is poor at maintaining behavior over long horizons.

Early progress hides this mismatch. Feedback is frequent. Identity forms quickly. The system hasn’t been stressed yet. But motivation quietly gets promoted from starter to sustainer without anyone noticing.

That promotion is the seed of later failure.

Motivation can get you started. It cannot carry you very far.

Part Two - The Negotiation Phase