Is Motivation Overrated? by Amy Goldberg

“Kick it into high gear. Don’t hesitate when your instincts say ‘Go.’ Follow your energy around what excites you. It’s that energy that will create the momentum when you need it most. When you want to give up, tap back into that energy. Remember why you started. Trust yourself. Keep it real for yourself. Don’t worry about what others think. As a matter of fact, don’t believe everything you tell yourself. You know, the negative self-doubt and insecurities that hold you back. Go be YOU. Whatever that looks like. Life is way too short for anything else.”

Having just read the above, how do you feel? Does it do anything for you? Are you inspired? Are you saying; “yes.” OR, are you feeling irritated, annoyed, even anxious?

The way in which one thing motivates you is the way everything motivates you.

motivation

noun

mo·ti·va·tion

“The reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way”

In my last article “It Starts With You” I talked about walking the walk. The act of being YOU (only better). Tapping into your authentic self.

A way to take this one step further is to discover and build-on what motivates you. Rather, what excites you. Once you know what excites you in life, then you will be able to take action which evolves into motivation. It’s kind of arse backwards.

Why?

Mostly because even when you discover what excites you, you STILL have to do the work. You need to Move into action. Our brain gets in the way. It tells us ALL the reasons why we’d suck at it.

The very definition of “motivation” tells us that we need to act or behave in a particular way. It’s not easy.

The key to motivation is purposeful action. So, what does that look like for you? What will drive you towards action and toward your goals? This goes back to what excites you. Intrinsic motivation or the motivation to put effort into achieving personal fulfilment tends to be far more rewarding then extrinsic motivation, where you’re driven by external rewards, like money, power, status, or recognition. That stuff is fleeting if you’re not truly jived by what you’re doing. It’s also damn hard to work toward what you want.

When you feel like giving up (which you will, a lot) it’ll be your true “Why” that keeps you moving forward.

So, I’ll start at the beginning – Is Motivation Overrated? No, it’s not. I’m going to suggest it’s the way we think about it. If you’re waiting to feel motivated to do something …. It’ll be a long time coming. If you know what excites you, start doing. Take action. Do something that moves the needle. Every day.

Here’s what I’m suggesting:

Set a Goal. Decide what you want and write it down.
Visualize your Goal. This works with athletes, it’ll work for you too. Imagine your goal to the detail. See it. Feel it. Hear it. Visualize the outcomes. What you want. Who’s with you. You get what I mean. Play it all out in your mind.
Make a List. Take pen to paper. List all the reasons why you want to accomplish this goal. It’s easy to get off track. Writing down your goal pulls it all together.
Break Down your goal into Achievable Actions. It can be overwhelming trying to accomplish a goal when there is so much to do. Think of your goal in bite-size pieces. Think of it this way: If you scoff the whole thing down at once you’re probably going to choke.
Have a Strategy. Life happens. Be prepared to be flexible. You may need to change course or shift gears. Keep the end goal in mind. Even if you have to hack out a new path. Keep going.
Seek Support. Get the support that you need. Surround yourself with people better than yourself. Have the courage to be vulnerable. We all need guidance in one way or another.
Be Prepared for Setbacks. Guaranteed it’s going to happen. Guaranteed you’ll feel like giving up. That’s why it’s so important to set a goal that you really want. That’s going to bring you fulfilment. Setbacks actually make us stronger. Keep going.
See the Big Picture. Always remember your “Why.” Why you’re doing this. Keep visualizing your end goal. Gain strength from this.