Most people seem to misunderstand what motivation is and what it can and cannot do. I think it’s helpful to think of motivation as a booster rocket, a short burst of energy. Generally, it’s something that won’t be sustained. 

Motivation is capricious. You might get a burst of motivation at the start of a project or endeavor, but you also might not. This means that if you are waiting to feel motivated to start something, you might be waiting a long time.

The hard truth is that motivation may never come. 

We expect that motivation will come when we are about to begin something, but that may be the wrong order. 

New York Times bestselling author Mark Manson says, “Action isn’t just the effect of motivation; it’s also the cause of it.” This made me stop dead in my tracks. The order he puts it in is different from the way we usually think about it. He says that taking action leads to inspiration, which then leads to motivation. Taking action is the critical step.

Here’s what a licensed therapist says about motivation, which backs up what Manson says: 

Motivation isn’t a precursor to success or action; it’s an outcome of them. It’s created mainly through the release of dopamine in your brain, which often happens after realizing an accomplishment or completing a task. In other words, motivation isn’t there to help you get going; it’s there to help you keep going. […] 

Willpower can help you get started on something, but that’s pretty much where its usefulness ends. It’s a finite resource, and it’s impossible to sustain anything indefinitely with willpower alone. No matter how badly you want something, if the only thing keeping you going is willpower, the behaviour will stop as soon as your willpower runs out. And it will eventually run out. 
– Dr. Scott Eilers, PSYD, LP, For When Everything Is Burning, p. 136

According to New York Times bestselling author Mel Robbins, “Motivation is garbage.” I love this rant so much and agree that it’s likely that you will never feel like doing whatever it is you are waiting for the motivation to start doing. 

Robbins says it is especially likely if you’re hoping to feel motivated to try something new. 

She says you will only feel motivated to do the things that are easy. Starting and growing your business is not easy, and you’ll need to do many things you’ve never done before. 

Our brains are wired to keep us safe. New equals scary and potentially dangerous. Watch the first few minutes of this video to get the nudge you may need to take action and do the scary thing. 

Those of you who have big dreams and big goals, which is probably most of you, will need to put some other support structures in place and not count on motivation too much. 

Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash