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Let’s be real: Dwayne Johnson is a badass. From his iconic professional wrestling career to his successful rise toward Hollywood stardom, the 49-year-old actor certainly knows a thing or two about hard work and perseverance. Not even the pandemic stopped him from achieving more — after his hectic filming schedule was put on pause, he actually trained more intensely to bulk up for his role in the upcoming “Black Adam” movie. Nevertheless, that goes without saying that even The Rock experiences moments where he doesn’t feel like working out.

In a recent Instagram video, Johnson shared a relatable message with his followers: “Like so many of you guys out there, we are busy, we are on this treadmill of life, there’s no stop button… We’re going and going and going, we’re tired, we have babies, we have bills to pay, we have school to go to, we have jobs to go to, we have relationships, we have a lot of stuff that just makes us tired throughout the day… I’m putting on my workout stuff, I’m tying my shoes, and I’m like, shit, I should just call it a night. No-one’s ever going to know, everyone’s asleep, maybe I’ll just pick it up tomorrow.”

When discouraging thoughts enter his mind, Johnson recaptures motivation using a mental tip that pushes him through fatigue: “I try to remember what it was like when I didn’t have much at all; those seven bucks days. I try to remember that, and usually that gets my ass in gear. When I think back to the days of having seven bucks, and what it took to get to the position that I’m in now.”

But like all humans, Johnson sometimes resorts to plan B when his initial trick doesn’t pull through. “If that doesn’t motivate me, I’ll ask myself, I’ll say: How bad of a motherfucker do you think you are? How bad do you really think you are? And then I’ll have this conversation with myself like I’m crazy, like, all right, it’s up to you. You think you’re a bad motherfucker? Well go out and prove it.” 

Indeed, the man will seriously psych himself out. It might seem like a lot to get one’s head in the game, but we’ve gotta give props to Johnson for his incredible mental discipline. Guess we should try this mental trick the next time we feel like taking a Netflix break instead of breaking a sweat.