Motivation is a weird thing. Most of us feel like we either have tons of motivation or other times motivation is nowhere to be found and we are trapped in a spiral of procrastination.
There are two reasons why you can’t find motivation.
REASON #1: You’re waiting for motivation to magically find you.
One of the most surprising things about motivation is that it often comes after starting a task or taking action, not before.
Motivation is often the result of action, not the cause of it.
Getting started even in very small ways, is a form of active inspiration that naturally produces motivation.
You’ve heard of Newton’s first law of Motion?
“Objets in motion stay in motion…”
Once a task has begun, it’s easier to continue moving it forward.
You don’t need much motivation one you’ve started a task. Nearly all of the friction in a task is at the beginning. After you start, you gain momentum and make progress. It is often easier to finish a task than it is to start it in the first place.
You don’t have to be motivated to get through the stuff you don’t feel like doing. You just need to start.
Stop thinking you have to be motivated to take any action. Pay the bills, send that email, go to the gym. You’re not going to be moved to do it. But, if you take one small step to start, the motivation will come.
At some point, it’s easier to change than to stay the same. It’s easier to take action and feel insecure working out than to sit on the couch disappointed in yourself. It’s easier to feel awkward doing that presentation than to get fired from your job.
Remember, every choice has a price. Somehow we cross a mental threshold – usually after weeks of procrastination and in the face of a deadline – and it becomes more painful to not do the work than to actually do it.
Bottom line:
Start. Take one small step and YOU create motivation. Stop waiting for motivation to magically appear.
And now, the second reason you can’t find motivation.
REASON #2: You look for external motivators.
Let’s look at the word motivation.
Mot – means to move.
What moves you to do what you do; to make sacrifices, to choose good over poor habits, to do it when it’s uncomfortable?
The foundation of YOUR motivation is understanding who you are and what you want.
Motivation is an inside job. You can only find it inside of yourself.
Don’t look externally for motivation. It won’t be there when you need it.
Looking at what someone else is doing may persuade you, may engage you, may get you going temporarily.
You can use what you see others doing to ask yourself, “How can I tap into that for myself?” This moves you to discover who you want to be and what you want.
Being inspired, encouraged and celebrated isn’t the same as sustaining internal motivation.
Looking outside of yourself, at others, for something that will sustain you and last is a set-up.
Constantly looking to other people to motivate you keeps you stuck in the cycle of disappointment. It’s now your job to figure out what you want, who you are and what it’s going to be that moves you ?
Bottom line:
You need to find your WHY.
Something has to move you to do the things you need and want to do. Ask yourself:
- What does move me?
- Why am I not moved to do this thing?
- Do I believe that I’m not worthy of the thing I want?
- Why is this important to me?
- Who benefits from me doing this thing?
- How will things be different once I do it?
When you do the work to discover your WHY or WHY’s, your motivation is always there for you. It’s internal and it’s yours to motivate you day after day.
So I leave you with this?
What moves you?
Where to Go From Here
If you’re looking for a way to move forward on something you’ve been putting of because you don’t feel ready, you’re afraid of failing or you doubt yourself at every turn, hop on the waitlist for my course so you can be the first to know when the doors open for enrollment.
UNDAUNTED: The Art of Taking Action Even If You Doubt Yourself