Volition and how it works for us.

The concept of ‘Volition’ is at the heart of any discussion regarding both motivation within a sport, and how best to adjust to life after it. In short, volition is our fuel. It’s what drives us to compete. Volition is not the drive itself; it is what causes the drive. For example, a person may be driven by a very competitive or aggressive personality, but the real fuel comes from some underlying experience or disposition that brought about that aggression. Understanding the roots of what drives us becomes a key to any transition to a life when we are no longer able to use competition as an outlet for that drive. 

There are many people in the world who have athletic ability; strength, speed, coordination, and other physical skills needed in sports. That said, relatively few of them actually compete, and fewer are able to rise through the ranks to compete at the higher levels. There are always circumstances that bring some of us into our sport, but in the end our ability to compete successfully and rise to higher levels comes from our internal drive. It’s that drive that also causes problems when time, physics, or circumstances bring our competitive window to a close. 

This is where it becomes incredibly helpful to know the source of your drive. What is it that wouldn’t let you quit when others did? What made you different, not in your physical ability but in your determination and motivation? 

Competing at higher levels means we all have that drive. We had to have it. In some cases, it came from positive sources. We simply loved what we were doing. We loved the atmosphere and the challenges, We craved the accolades. Competition met positive needs that we have in ways that nothing else could. That said, in other cases the source of our drive can be negative. We may have been angry at someone or some group, and used competition to prove ourselves to them. We may have been driven by fear as well; fear of a loss of love or support from someone important to us, fear of failure or judgment, or even a fear of time itself. Getting older is something that many of us fear because of the physical decline that comes with it. 

In the end, volition is highly personal. We all have things that drive us, but only you know the deeper roots of your own volition. Whether you choose to jump in on the poll and discussion that follows, or to explore your own volition with those closest to you, it is worth understanding your own. By understanding what drove you, it becomes possible to refocus those emotions into something healthy and positive as you move through life after competition. After all, the needs that you fulfilled through the action brought by that motivation still exist, and the environment in which you met them does not. This is an opportunity to refocus on the next challenge with a clear awareness of what motivates you. 

Discussion questions: Join in the comments in the discussion below

1. Are you more motivated by internal factors (anger, love of the game) or external rewards (Awards, victories, recognition)? 
2. Was there one person (parent, mentor), or a group of people (team, faith community) who motivated you? How does that person’s inspiration continue to drive you in life after competition? 
3. Does the idea of competing either in your chosen sport (but at a recreational level) or in another sport fulfill your competitive needs?