Yes, hi, I am looking for motivation, have you seen her? Let me know when you do. Motivation is a sneaky sucker. She comes and goes when she pleases and doesn’t have the decency to let a woman know whenever she is coming or going. You never know how long she will stick around for. You might have an idea of where to find her, but the key to staying motivated actually lies within yourself.
Motivation and discipline go hand in hand. Out of one the other grows. It is kind of like a cycle. First, you start out with motivation. Then over time you gain discipline through consistency, dedication, and hard work. From that you get results, and when you see or experience results, that breeds more motivation.
When your motivation to show up for yourself is particularly low, you have to rely on discipline. You have to remind yourself why you are trying so hard. You have to remind yourself of what exactly you are striving for. Nothing will keep you motivated but yourself. No person can force you to show up for yourself better than you can.
Sometimes you might need to write your goal down. Whatever it is, put it on paper and put it everywhere that you can see it. That way you have a daily reminder in your face of why you wont give up and use the excuse of having no motivation.
Have someone as an accountability partner. No they might not always be able to motivate you, but it absolutely helps. You are 42% more likely to achieve your goals when you write them down and when you tell someone about them. It adds another layer. You don’t want to let yourself down, sure, but you especially don’t want to let down those other people who you told you were going to do the thing. Sometimes that is all the kick in the butt of motivation that you will need to take the next step.
Which brings us to the next point, just take the next best step. This is discipline, baby. Whenever you see your goal and have someone holding you to it, sometimes the best thing you can do when you are looking for motivation is just to continue to go through the motions. It might not be optimal. It might not look pretty or feel good, but you are doing the damn thing. Come hell or high water, you will achieve what you put your mind to do.
When motivation is not around, do what you know you have to do to be one step closer to your goal each and every day. That way you know you are still moving forward. When motivation comes back, maybe you take 3-5 steps on those days. That is okay. All that really matters is that each day you are making one small choice that is going to make you 1% better and more likely to achieve your goal.
Motivation will rise and fall. Progress is never linear. The beauty of it all is falling in love with the process. When you are able to be committed to yourself through all the highs and lows, that’s when true growth and development occurs. That is when you come out stronger.
Sure, motivation sometimes looks like a song, a dance, or a pep talk. Sometimes it comes in the form of an external reward, like that new pair of shoes, new workout clothes or maybe that big trip you’ve been planning. The reality is though that all of these things are temporary. So when you are looking for motivation to do something, make sure you are also ready to fall back on your discipline. Get comfortable with being able to do something even when you don’t always want to. Fall in love with the process along the way so that discipline will be there to catch you when you fall.