Lost motivation

[Tomppa]

I have lost my motivation totally. Including training and competing. In last six weeks I've shot ~200 rounds. I want to shoot, that's not the question, but I don't have the motivation to go to range or take my timer and do some dry fire practice. I only have 12 km (about 7-8 miles) to range, so it's not about the distance and the trouble. I was in local club match last evening and I wasn't shooting at my own level at all. I have some bigger matches coming pretty soon, so I need to get back in shape quickly.

How can I find that lost motivation again? Or should I start doing something else?

Tomppa

[lynn jones]

this is your sargent speaking:

"get you butt to the range you lazy dog, move it!"

go! go! go!

do you feel better now?

lynn

[Skywalker]

I want to shoot, that's not the question, but I don't have the motivation to go to range or take my timer and do some dry fire practice.

It looks (at least to me) the two sentences are quite clashing among themselves.

You want to shoot.

You don't have a motivation to go to the range or to dryfire.

I guess you need to set your priorities and goals straight. I mean you need to visualize them, see them, understand their position in your personal ladder of values and things to do, and decide accordingly.

If you want to shoot (and I really mean you want to, not because you used to do it and you figure you wanna do it), ask yourself why are you shooting.

Do you shoot for fun? Do you shoot for the smell of competition? Do you shoot for prizes?

I am not questioning the moral of the answer, just find one.

If you have a strong motivation for shooting (whatever it is), then you need to find the energy/time to do it, not the motivation.

If you don't have a strong motivation for shooting, then have a break from it: other more experienced forum members can relate about the benefits of taking a break from shooting; a quick search on this topic will show you relevant threads.

All in all, even if this might sound a bit too simplistic, I believe the answer can be found only inside yourself, once you have clearly (for you) identified and set your priorities.

I'll make an example.

I don't have enough time (at least how much I'd like) to dedicate to becoming a good shooter. Actually I'm struggling in the low A-class of Standard division here in Italy. Lately I have looked at myself in the mirror and asked myself the following question "Are you completely satisfied with the level of competence you achieved?". The answer was "No". I'm a perfectionist and have a very competitive personality; whenever I do something I want to do it at my best, I don't like mediocrity.

For this reason (after having bought Steve Anderson dry firing book) I decided I would have found a couple of hours per week to dedicate to dyr firing training (previously I didn't do it almost at all).

Those hours usually start @ 22:30 or later (work and family have higher priorities).

So I'm there late in the evening, tired, leaning towards going to sleep.

At that point I usually ask myself "Do you still wanna shoot better and have a chance of winning something?".

This invariably gives me the energy for an hour of dry firing or so.

This only happens because I decided I wanna shoot better than what I'm actually capable of.

Hope this will help you.

[SmittyFL]

If you've got another gun, try that out for a while. Or don't shoot matches at all, bring out the ol' .22 rifle and shoot some tin cans. I know when I get burned out, I bring out the revolver and shoot a couple matches. It reminds you that shooting is fun, and that's the main reason you do it.

Or the final choice, as Greg Norman once told my Dad when Dad asked him how to improve his putting when he saw him at a local airport. "Lay off for six weeks, then quit totally".

[rhino]

I've been in the same boat most of my shooting "career." I will only shoot when it is fun for me, and that means mostly matches. It's been a real chore to force myself to practice this year, even the little bit I've done. Heck, if I had to do it alone, I wouldn't practice at all.

[Flexmoney]

You need a goal.

Get the Lanny Bassham book from Steve Anderson.

http://andersonshooting.com/

[short_round]

It reminds you that shooting is fun, and that's the main reason you do it.

For me this is the key. I try to remember why I started shooting in the first place before I started competing and even before I knew that IPSC existed.

[SiG Lady]

"You need a goal."

Bingo. Hang that carrot in front of you. Make sure it's a realistic carrot that suits you, but hang it nonetheless. Even if it's a small carrot. Create a 12-carrot program or something if that's what it takes.

Many years ago an acquaintance of mine had some sort of a nervous breakdown. After he got over it a couple of years later, he said the reason it happened is he quit having things "to look forward to." ...Many of which we need to create on our own. Either way, it was revealing.

Believe it or not--even in my humble program of fairly regular shooting--I have to step back and find out why I'm losing a little enthusiasm, or being a little distracted from shooting, or whatever. I simply set a new goal, make a specific practice list and drill-sergeant myself into a slightly different practice regimen. It works.

[schmitz]

I want to shoot, that's not the question, but I don't have the motivation to go to range or take my timer and do some dry fire practice.

It looks (at least to me) the two sentences are quite clashing among themselves.

You want to shoot.

You don't have a motivation to go to the range or to dryfire.

Contradiction!

Sell your gun and look for another hobby!

Henny.

[Tomppa]

Problem solved? I shot one match last weekend and it wasn't easy after long break. But I got my motivation back. I realised I'm not shooting at my own level and I wanna do better. I hate that. I guess I'm quite competitive too. Now I can't wait to get back to the range. Even though I wasn't any good, I had really fun, shooting and meeting old friends. Maybe the reason I lost my motivation was that I didn't have any goals, or carrots. My goal so far has always been some match, but maybe I should set some smaller goals, like doing some drill in some specific time, etc. Something more personal, you know what I mean.

Thanks for the advises. I'm not selling my gun.

Tomppa

[short_round]

I got my motivation back.

Congratulations! Welcome Back!

[mcoliver]

My goal so far has always been some match, but maybe I should set some smaller goals, like doing some drill in some specific time, etc. Something more personal, you know what I mean.

How about just having some plain, old FUN shooting?

[schmitz]

Thanks for the advises. I'm not selling my gun.

Tomppa

Shocktherapy...

congrats and I wish you succes and many good matches to come!

DVC, Henny.

[Loves2Shoot]

Problem solved? I shot one match last weekend and it wasn't easy after long break. But I got my motivation back. I realised I'm not shooting at my own level and I wanna do better. I hate that. I guess I'm quite competitive too. Now I can't wait to get back to the range. Even though I wasn't any good, I had really fun, shooting and meeting old friends. Maybe the reason I lost my motivation was that I didn't have any goals, or carrots. My goal so far has always been some match, but maybe I should set some smaller goals, like doing some drill in some specific time, etc. Something more personal, you know what I mean.

Thanks for the advises. I'm not selling my gun.

Tomppa

It happens to most. When you are having fun shooting, write down why you like it and what you've learned, then when you want to bag it go back and read what you wrote when you were enjoying shooting. That helps me when my hands hurt and my neck aches from stinking practice. If you really want to shoot, make yourself get out there and pull the trigger. Generally, after a mag or two downrange, I remember why it is fun.

Expectations is a killer of fun, just shoot it!

[oddjob]

I've been shooting since 1991. What I have found is that I switch from open to limited to L-10...(haven't switch to Production yet). This keeps going in terms of equipment, loads and etc (money too). It also changes the mental game (most important). Throw in a little 3 gun and now my son shoots........Its fun again....

[HeadHunter]

I switched my routine. Had been doing my dry fire in the evenings and it was becoming a chore. I have 332 days left of my 1000 consecutive days.

Started getting up a little earlier, doing a short meditation, then doing my 20 minute dry fire regimen. It really gets me going to handle my guns early and starts my day off on a good note.

It also helped to re-record my regimen (I have it on a CD) and make some changes. Not that there was anything wrong with it but I had been doing the same thing for quite a while.

[Putty]

I havent read others replies so I may be going over ground covered.

I know the feeling. Sometimes the journey can suck, although most will say thats the point of enjoyment. I think you find your way to joy, regardless of the path, road whatever.

I started Karate about 20 years ago, I walked in to the dojo and said to myself "Iam going to get my blackbelt". That was conviction. But, the road sometimes sucked as you can plateau for what seems like an eternity, but that big goal, although distant keeps you at it. For three years, somedays I was so busted up I could barely walk and did not want to go. When I didnt go, I felt guilty because my dream was getting farther away. That kept me in it. I am glad I did.

Now the flip side of this intensive effort is this dichotomy of emotion of which you spoke. You work so hard all the time (intense like me?) to succeed that you burn out. And I mean BURN OUT! How do you recharge when mentally you love the sport but have no emotional giddyup? I took a break but .....

1) git a friend to kick you in the azz that will go with you, better yet pick u up.

2)That friend should have alot of energy and excitement about the sport and will want your advice.

3) If your good, start your own class.

4) or,Take a break from it before you totally burn out and sell all your stuff.

5) When you revisit the sport with a NEW GUN (hehe) dont practice so much you burn out, stay hungry, push yourself away from that very close table. Too much practice can make Jack a dull boy. And at some point unique to the individual, you can start to experience diminishing returns on over-effort which can lead to lowered self-esteem based on poor performance.

6) Find new ways of thinking about shooting. I'm a newb in IPSC but in Karate if I was in a plateau, I would watch other fighters at tournaments from different styles and look at their techniques and If I liked it, I would make it uniquely my own. I did not replicate the move, I let it fit my style and me. So I could take a Shotokan move and make it uniquely Isshinryu.

7) Go to a good IPSC school and get excited about new people, places and ideas.

[Bruce]

Lost your motivation? Just means you are normal, that's all. I have been competitive in several sports, and in my profession, for many years. Anyone who says they are motivated all the time is a liar.

It is not a bad thing to take a break here and there, it is also not a bad thing to put your own boot up your ass to crank it up a notch or five after a short break.

Go get 'em...or, look back on it all on your 80th birthday and wish you had.

[miyamoto]

Yes, just roll with it.

Have not been truly active/competitive since 2002.

Just did a match for the heck of it a few weeks ago...things just suddenly clicked

and I felt a desire to perform again. Don't fight it one way or the other, just

roll with it. It was hard for me to learn...I will probably learn it again too!

[TriggerT]

I posted a thread like this a few weeks ago, as I had lost all desire to shoot. I have just taken about 3 weeks off from shooting and took a 10 day vacation. The desire is BACK! I have been dry firing sincethe night after I got back from vacation, and I am headedto the rangethis afternoon with 300 rounds of practice ammo. I was concerned about taking so much time off, but after the first 5 or 10 minutes of dry fire practice, things seem to be right about where I left off. Now if things work out well when the gun goes bang I will be really happy. Shoot because it is fun, and when it stops being fun, stop shooting for awhile. The desire will come back.