Does "fear of losing" motivate you? - Team Franco Bodybuilding Forum: Competition and Fitness Board

Mike Pulcinella · Member

Does "fear of losing" motivate you?

Joe · Beyond Nutrition - Co Owner

Great topic Mike, and I have many reasons. But the one that sticks out is this.

Its not losing, I am motivated by not winning!!!

Love to hear what other say.

the2ndoak · Beyond Nutrition - Co Owner

I just HATE-abhor doing the same as last year. I'll spend a massive amount of time on getting things to be better than they were before; but what drives me, is that I need to improve. Sure winning is great, but beating my PR is a motivating force. I hated the way I placed last year, and the thing that I always heard competitors do after a show was to talk to the judges. I never did that before. I did this time. I see nothing but improvements ever since I took the judges advice and Joe's as well. I am going to do better than last year. I see it already-this doesnt mean I rest though.

Yoster · The Truth!

Great topic. I think this is a mutli-level question that speaks to the core of a person's personality and isn't resident just in BBuilding.
I used to run marathons - and to "the2ndoak"s point - you wanted to do better than you did the time before. I think more than the fear of loosing - the very fact that certain people participate in certain activities is because cethey just want to "stand out" and differentiate themselves from the general population.
What percentage of people are BBers? I would think this is much less than 1% of the population - I think the motivation - is to be different - to be "better" than 99% of the population in that one particular area.
My motivation in whatever I do is to see just how far I can take it - how much can I better myself. My wife now refers to it as "her bucket list" (yes fully stolen from the movie). I think that really fits - what can you do and be the best you possibly can be before you kick the bucket.

OR

It could be the fact that you are flying the the face of most people's worst nighmare and getting in front of a whole lot of people basically naked. That is what is motivating me to work my @ss off.

-- Edited by Yoster at 20:31, 2008-12-21

the2ndoak · Beyond Nutrition - Co Owner

yep-nothing like walking around in a banana hammock

Yoster · The Truth!

the2ndoak wrote:
yep-nothing like walking around in a banana hammock

Yeah - that pretty much sums it up - HA

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Here's the deal with BB shows. You want to win but you know that there is only one winner of the show. So, how could you fear losing? The odds are at any show, that you are not going to be the winner of the show.

I think that people compete in natural bbing MOSTLY (not everyone but most) because they love to compete. There is something about it that makes them feel great. Whether its the camaraderie, looking great, sense of being under control, discipline, stress relief, whatever it is. Its not an easy thing to do but it feels great and that's what motivates MOST natty bb'ers in my opinion.

I do best at shows when I lose my fear when I step on stage. There is no fear. Really the only fear is that I'm not prepared. Like the guys said before, you are pretty much naked so you want to be prepared....you know with a good tan, in shape, good routine, etc. Once you hit the stage, you want to feel prepared and last year I feel like I was the best prepared I ever was for a competition thanks to the help of Joe. I felt great through my routine and my posing and that's all I could ask for. After that, I don't really care if I won or lost.

I'm happy with the experience, knowing that I did better than last time, and that I came prepared aka brought my "A" game.

Those of us who played organized sports growing up know that it sucks when you lose in a game and your team didn't practice well that week or didn't give their all during practice. On the other hand, it sucks when your team loses, but there is still a sense of pride that you gave your all and practiced hard and fought a good fight. You didn't just give up the game. I've been on both types of teams and I tell you I'd rather be on a team that practices hard and loses 60% of their games but only by 1 point than be on a team that doesn't try hard and just wins all the time. Spirit counts for a lot to me and level of effort. Its not all about the scorecard.

If it were, most people wouldn't try.

Joe · Beyond Nutrition - Co Owner

winflex wrote:

Here's the deal with BB shows. You want to win but you know that there is only one winner of the show. So, how could you fear losing? The odds are at any show, that you are not going to be the winner of the show.

I think that people compete in natural bbing MOSTLY (not everyone but most) because they love to compete. There is something about it that makes them feel great. Whether its the camaraderie, looking great, sense of being under control, discipline, stress relief, whatever it is. Its not an easy thing to do but it feels great and that's what motivates MOST natty bb'ers in my opinion.

I do best at shows when I lose my fear when I step on stage. There is no fear. Really the only fear is that I'm not prepared. Like the guys said before, you are pretty much naked so you want to be prepared....you know with a good tan, in shape, good routine, etc. Once you hit the stage, you want to feel prepared and last year I feel like I was the best prepared I ever was for a competition thanks to the help of Joe. I felt great through my routine and my posing and that's all I could ask for. After that, I don't really care if I won or lost.

I'm happy with the experience, knowing that I did better than last time, and that I came prepared aka brought my "A" game.

Those of us who played organized sports growing up know that it sucks when you lose in a game and your team didn't practice well that week or didn't give their all during practice. On the other hand, it sucks when your team loses, but there is still a sense of pride that you gave your all and practiced hard and fought a good fight. You didn't just give up the game. I've been on both types of teams and I tell you I'd rather be on a team that practices hard and loses 60% of their games but only by 1 point than be on a team that doesn't try hard and just wins all the time. Spirit counts for a lot to me and level of effort. Its not all about the scorecard.

If it were, most people wouldn't try.

Well put.

Rick · Guru

winflex wrote:

Here's the deal with BB shows. You want to win but you know that there is only one winner of the show. So, how could you fear losing? The odds are at any show, that you are not going to be the winner of the show.

I think that people compete in natural bbing MOSTLY (not everyone but most) because they love to compete. There is something about it that makes them feel great. Whether its the camaraderie, looking great, sense of being under control, discipline, stress relief, whatever it is. Its not an easy thing to do but it feels great and that's what motivates MOST natty bb'ers in my opinion.

I do best at shows when I lose my fear when I step on stage. There is no fear. Really the only fear is that I'm not prepared. Like the guys said before, you are pretty much naked so you want to be prepared....you know with a good tan, in shape, good routine, etc. Once you hit the stage, you want to feel prepared and last year I feel like I was the best prepared I ever was for a competition thanks to the help of Joe. I felt great through my routine and my posing and that's all I could ask for. After that, I don't really care if I won or lost.

I'm happy with the experience, knowing that I did better than last time, and that I came prepared aka brought my "A" game.

Those of us who played organized sports growing up know that it sucks when you lose in a game and your team didn't practice well that week or didn't give their all during practice. On the other hand, it sucks when your team loses, but there is still a sense of pride that you gave your all and practiced hard and fought a good fight. You didn't just give up the game. I've been on both types of teams and I tell you I'd rather be on a team that practices hard and loses 60% of their games but only by 1 point than be on a team that doesn't try hard and just wins all the time. Spirit counts for a lot to me and level of effort. Its not all about the scorecard.

If it were, most people wouldn't try.

I have to agree--I started to compete last year just to see where I stood in relation to other bodybuilders. When you get up on stage you really put yourself into the judging eyes of the judges (and the audience) who apply their criteria for excellence to each competitor, so there you are being judged by pros--some of whom have judged in national or larger venues--so for me, it is more the thrill of competing than a fear of failure. I came in 2nd (Master's�Over 50 OCB)�and 5th (open middleweight, NPC). I'm actually proud of both of those results. I never thought I'd be bodybuilding in my later 50's! Hahaha. Now I know the criteria better, so I'm trying to exceed my best performance last year--it's really that I want to be the best I can be, regardless of my age, even. But I am this way in everything I do. Rick.