I used to think that in order to get more done, I needed to figure out how to get more motivated.
If I could feel motivated, I would take the steps necessary to accomplish my goals. But that right there is a lie. It’s a lie that we need to feel motivated before we do the work. Any goal that’s worth committing to requires effort. Hard work. We are so good at setting New Year’s resolutions. We have big dreams and make big goals in January. But when March comes around? We are back to our normal routine. We start thinking it’s worthless to try. We give up. We stay in our struggle. We stop believing in ourselves. What would you do if you knew you would not fail? What result would you create for yourself? Would you lose weight? Make more money? Build a business? The steps involved in reaching these goals will be boring. They are tedious and tiring. You won’t feel like doing them. Your brain will try and distract you. You’ll find yourself checking just one email. Then you click on a link. That link takes you to one of your favorite websites. Before you know it, you’ve spent money and time shopping online. You are no closer to your goal. You feel frustrated and ashamed. Sound familiar? Are you ready for the secret? In the book, The Procrastinator’s Digest, by Timothy Pychyl, we learn that action actually precedes motivation. The action comes first, and the feeling of motivation comes second. It's no wonder we waste so much time waiting to feel motivated right? And it’s not surprising that when motivation doesn’t come, we don’t fully commit to our goal. Don’t wait until you WANT to do something before you start. Preparing a meal, skipping dessert, writing that sales copy, whatever it is….don’t wait until you want to do it. Schedule it in. Write it in your calendar. Break it down into smaller tasks. Honor your commitments. Begin to take the steps necessary to create momentum. It’s going to feel boring at first. You won’t want to do it. But, soon enough, this action will create momentum. The momentum will create motivation. Who better than you to create it, right? Motivation will come. But stop waiting for it.
