Recently, I discovered a fun little secret… nobody feels like doing the work. To be more precise, motivation is not, as we have come to believe, an asset some people have that others don’t. Given the choice to work and the choice to bask in the sunlight, the majority of us would prefer the latter. Seeking motivation in order to successfully achieve something is the very reason we keep on failing. If we wait to feel like doing something, chances are we will never do it.
What we really need to seek out is determination, persistence, self-discipline, self love, courage, and instinct. When your alarm goes off in the morning, it is not your motivation that gets you on your feet, but rather it is your discipline. When you skip the chocolate bar, it isn’t your motivation that encourages you to put it down, but rather your self love and determination. When you run with an opportunity, it isn’t your motivation that lights the fire under you, but rather your instinct and courage. Hard work is about persistence, not about feeling like it. Nobody feels like it!
While I am still learning how to shift my mindset away from the stagnant wait for motivation, every small adjustment I have made has already impacted my life in a profound way. Knowing that motivation is a lie has been somewhat liberating, because I now realize that I don’t need to want to do something in order to do it. If I can weigh out the benefits of an action or decision in a rational way, I can put forward a step by step plan that gets me from where I am to where I want to be, and can follow through with it even when I don’t feel like carrying the burden of responsibility. There is no longer room for my mood. Surprisingly enough, it has worked out quite well!
Today, I didn’t feel like waking up early. I still did.
I didn’t feel like making breakfast. I still did.
I didn’t feel like a day at the office when it could be a day at the pool. I still marched on over.
I didn’t feel like writing a blog post. I still wrote.
I did feel like a $4 coffee, but I didn’t buy it!
I didn’t feel like doing my bed, so I did not do my bed. It doesn’t work 100% of the time! 😅
Why do things that you don’t feel like doing? Because they will lead to a valuable end goal that is important to you. It’s not about the wanting the work, it’s about wanting the results.
The alternative, doing only what you feel like doing, means that you won’t have the life you dream of having. Instant gratification comes at the cost of long term goals. Think about that next time you skip your vegetables.
And remember… we design our own life!
M.
Hack: Dream Life 
You write better than my priest speaks. Preach! Keep it up girl 🙂
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Hahaha! Well… that was unexpected. Lol.
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Hey Amanda what is the reason that you want to do something? And that reason should be something that you really want to attain/achieve. Yes you are correct, motivation is a fleeting feeling, comes and goes. Hence unreliable. What is something that you want done by tomorrow? 🙂
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Hi Nomad! It’s Marian 🙂 Choosing not to rely on my motivation means I can get everything I want done by tomorrow, today. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us, and that is precisely the reason why we strive to achieve our goals. What about you?
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Hey Marian, yes i wanted to edit the post when i saw it. Wasnt able to. Am a noob to the whole blogging scene.
Anyways back to your post. If tomorrow wasnt promised unto us, hence we choose to live life meeting the goals we set. Is there more to it than just that? Say you have an important assignment due in a weeks’ time, what will lead you to complete it in stages before scrambling to get it done in a days time before its due date? Small efforts will help you to achieve piecing together small ones inorder for it to be part of a big picture? Just like a jig saw puzzle. Many parts placed together.
So perhaps getting everything done by tomorrow may be alittle too big to achieve hence allowing procrastination to set in. What about breaking it down to bite sizes? At least you will feel good making those small habits become a reality. After a while you are able to meet big milestones which you never will think you were able to reach initially. Just a thought.
And so for me? I live by the day and hopefully i can be happier in the future. Happiness is a big milestone for me. Hopefully you too may achieve what you have set for yourself too. Cheers. Apologies for the name mix up :).
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Of course, things have to be done in bite sizes if the end goal is massive. Not everything can be done at once. The point I was trying to make is that you have to get up and do the task designated for today, whether big or small, whether you feel like it or not. Otherwise, things compound and we end up procrastinating forever. Thank you for the kind wishes and I wish you the best on luck on your journey as well! “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light!” – Albus Dumbledore (never a bad time for a Harry Potter quote haha)
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Thanks for the quote Marian! Haha it sure is that easy being happy.. just by a flip of a switch! 😁
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