Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... (Page 2)

two come to mind: My high school soccer coach told me I was a "heartbreaker" because I tried so hard but never got any better. Another was in a spin class and a woman from the back of the room came up to me after and said, "Maybe you should move your seat back because your butt kinda hangs over the back of the seat." (Her butt is way bigger than mine, too!)

You mean besides getting chicked in a race and seeing the "74" on her calf?

"EVERYONE ELSE can do this. Why can't you?!"

-- gym teacher, 4th grade, on more than one occasion

Edited by Silver Bullet 2010-01-20 9:07 PM

'Failure is an option' -Mythbusters

 I know it a demotivational thread ... but that really made me laugh.. ya gotta love kids... unless of course you are teacher

Got a call from my Commader during service selection.  The voice-mail said "Congratulations, you have been selected for Surface Warfare...you're gonna love it (with a giggle).  Call me back and let me know you got the message".

This was after 4 years of dedicating myself to SEAL selection, with EOD as a 2nd choice.  I didn't even have Surface Warfare as a choice.  Guy was a total , got a chance to read his "recommendation" later and he wrote under Aptitude for SEAL selection: "No comment"

That guy was a total DB .  Talk about a demoralizer.  All that because of a personal conflict that he never even addressed with me.  (He was a SEAL reject himself as an Ensign and turns out no one was good enough for him to recommend in the entire 3 years he was there.

He was a triathlete and is probably on this site.  Still bitter about that a little, but I did get over it.

Edited by sax 2010-01-20 9:18 PM

How about seeing "12"? 

Or even worse, on the training rides when I get chicked by the amish girls on their bikes?  Ouch.

And I haven't personally overheard this one directed at me (I think), but there's always that classic from the bystanders - "Well, if THAT guy can do it, maybe I can do it too!"

Edited by gearboy 2010-01-20 9:21 PM

Oh, she beat you too?    One day I will beat every 65+ YO in the race...I hope.  Otherwise, I hope to be the 65 YO passing people some day.

Demotivational to me is "Transition opens at 4:30 a.m."  Can't anyone have a race at a decent hour? 

"You really damaged your hamstring. I can't say how badly, but I don't think you'll be running for at least another six months. Maybe longer."

It was about 14 months before I could run again. I wouldn't call it a good demotivator (oxymoron?) but it was very effective.

As for despair.com, my favorite is "You were meant for me. Perhaps as a punishment." (something like that)

Too true, too true.

Edited by Renee 2010-01-20 9:36 PM

This summer I was on steroids that packed some pounds on me,, as well as me eating everything in sight

So someone that hadn't seen me in a while said... "wow you used to be in shape,,"

Back in 2004 I and a friend started running. He was single and needed to get in shape, I was his wing man. After a year of ok training he was showing some real progress and we picked up another friend as a running partner. I still did this for fun but they were looking at doing more. Eventually they got significantly faster than me ( at least 1-2mins a mile faster). Finally one year I was "dropped" from the team with the phrase,

"We want to do these events but not suck at it."

It was clear I would not be welcomed back until I got fast enough to keep up.

Two years later they hadthat ONE good year of running, I have dominated them since and they no longer even do triathlons and rarely run. I keep hearing, "I am going to get back into it[running and tris]".

I am now an Ironman.

My Mom, may she rest in peace, was a master of the backhanded compliment.  My favorite was after I started doing tris and lost 20+ lbs she said "I had forgotten how flat chested you were until you lost all that weight".  Gotta love her.

love that one!

my favorite from demotivators is, "The common denominator in all of your failed relationships is you."

"Didn't you see my signal??" - Lady who pulled alongside me then turned right resulting in me slamming into the quarterpanel.

"Planning ahead takes away time that could be spent just reacting to crisis" - Boss at Navy staff

- Watching a man with a 60 on his leg pedal his mountain bike up a hill that I was struggling to push mine up (my first and last attempt at a xterra offroad Tri) (He was really about 103, but I think 60 was the highest age group)

I was in the honors program briefly in college...only did it so I could register early. I was meeting with one of the honors program advisors about my courses for the semester and she told me "It's a good thing you are a double major, because your other major requires no brain power."

LOL...and to me:  Replace econ major with "Geology," advanced macroecon midterm with "physics," and English major with "Philosophy"...

First Oly...my wife had done the sprint distance at the event earlier that day and was hanging around transition to cheer for me.  I come steaming into T2 after hammering the bike for 24+ miles.

Wife (to me):  "What happened...did you get a flat?"

In a half marathon last fall I got passed by a guy with no legs.

I've never been a great swimmer, but in dealing with some injuries, I've spent the last 2-3 years swimming at least a couple of times a week and I'm much better than I was.  My mom is aware of this, but last summer I did a tri with this very short 100 meter swim--I told my mom and she was like, "Can you do that?  Are they going to have lifeguards to pull you out if you can't make it?  Are you sure about that?"

Thanks, Mom, yeah, I'm pretty sure I can swim the distance of ONE LAP without drowning.

Was at Gym about 4 years ago, complaining about some muscle pull or something to a buddy I had run a 5k w/ the year before, I was pretty heavy at this point, about 5'8 220ish. This one guy, who is an absolute gym rat, said something like "I don't understand you out of shape guys , just loose weight and exercise" It really hit me bad, stopped going to gym. I just out busied myself, fitness became less of a priority. I had a couple of fits and starts over the next couple of years, but my weight ballooned up to over 240 before the Dr started talking type 2 diabetes to me last year before I got back on track. Be careful what you say to folks, it is not always easy to stay engaged in a healthier lifestyle, even if people are going to the gym to hang out in the sauna, they are going to the gym, it beats the alternative.

I gave up my membership at that gym last year, but the owner cut a deal to give me half price one day passes to use on the weekends, I saw that guy a couple of weeks ago, he's still in good shape, but my little gut is a lot closer in size to his than it was when he said it (i'm down to about 185, done 2 5k's last fall, 2nd , just signed up for 1st sprint tri in may, maybe another in August, we'll see where we go from there)

I try to avoid people who want to bring someone else down, and I usually forget stupid comments and questions and remember the positive things.

I think the most demotivating thing I've heard is the sound of the impact when an SUV hit me at the end of an 80 mile ride. That's pretty demotivating and really puts a crimp in your day.