MR MOTIVATOR: YOUR WISH LIST HAS BEEN ALL THE THINGS MONEY CAN’T BUY
Derrick Evans – or Mr Motivator – has been in high demand during the pandemic. It’s easy to see why: ever since bursting onto TV screens back in the early-Nineties in a flash of neon Lycra, GMTV’s upbeat fitness instructor became synonymous with making people feel good.
He says he’s done hundreds of interviews this past year all over the world, and they’ve all wanted to know the same thing: “How can I pick myself up? If I feel like I’m coming to the edge, how do I pull myself back?”
His advice? “Learn to unplug the computer. Learn to enjoy the quality of life. Learn to enjoy the time you now have,” amongst other nuggets.
He believes the pandemic’s been an opportunity to re-evaluate what’s really important, especially in terms of “looking out for each other” and realising we don’t actually need all that much. “This last year has made every single person out there realise chasing for that other television set you can’t possibly watch, that other car you can’t drive, is not that important. Your wish list has been all the things money can’t buy.”
For him, only four things have really mattered. “One is the roof over my head. Food in the fridge – these are all wonderful blessings. Number three is your health, and the fourth thing is love. And who you love and who loves you is your business, but if you love each other, do it unconditionally. And if you don’t have anyone who loves you, look in the mirror and love you! Then you’re saying to the world: ‘Look, I love me,
I’m available for love’.”
But there’s no toxic positivity here. Finding the feelgood factor is heart and centre for Evans, but he’s keen to point out that acknowledging we all struggle sometimes is also really important.
“This last year has been tough for every single person. When you call up your best friend and say, ‘Are you sleeping well? No I’m not’. ‘Are you eating well? No I’m not’. ‘How you feeling? Well I’m ok’. They’re telling you they’re crying for help. And listen, you’re entitled to feel the way you feel. If you give people permission to feel the way they feel, what happens is it reminds them they’re not alone, and that can help us as well.”
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