I don’t want to be motivated, I want to be committed.
I used to be the queen of, “I know I need to workout but I’m just not motivated” or “I really want to lose weight, but after work I have no motivation.” “I want to get out of debt, but I can’t seem to stay motivated.”
I tried every different gym and fitness program under the sun.
I bounced from diet to diet for almost 30 years.
I had tons of goals but very little follow through.
The Truth About Motivation
I’ve got good news: motivation is not required.
If you’ve been using “I’m not motivated” as an excuse, it’s time to retire that thought.
If you feel like your lack of motivation is holding you back, that ends here. It’s not true.
Motivation is not required. If you are never motivated again, not for a single moment in your life, you can still achieve all your goals and have build a life that surpasses your wildest dreams.
I used to live by the idea that my feelings influenced my actions…that how I felt obviously impacted, if not controlled, the choices I made.
If I was stressed, I would eat.
If I was overtired, I’d have a short fuse and be less patient in my communication.
If I was unmotivated or feeling down, I’d skip the gym.
While that was the flow of my choices for a long time, it’s not how “choice” works.
Sure, we can certainly convince ourselves that’s the way choice works (that’s what I did for decades), it doesn’t make it so.
Four weeks ago, my daughter died, unexpectedly. We were told she might be a little dehydrated and less than 36 hours later, she was gone.
I have never been less motivated to work.
I have never been less motivated to workout.
I’ve never been less motivated to eat, never mind to eat well and fuel my body brilliantly.
I feel all the things: sad, angry, lonely, exhausted, depressed…and then some.
Which of my actions do those feelings dictate?
None of them.
Last week, I committed to go for a walk every day. Yesterday, it was cool and rainy with wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour. I had no motivation to do anything, much less walk.
Unmotivated and depressed, I slipped on my sneakers and went out for a walk.
We let ourselves off the hook when we use our feelings to justify our inaction. You can do that, for sure. You can convince yourself that you didn’t have a choice because you were stressed or unmotivated.
That doesn’t make it true.
What To Do When You’re Feeling Unmotivated
Face reality.
Acknowledge that you aren’t motivated; also acknowledge that you can do whatever it is you said you’d do unmotivated.
You can workout unmotivated.
You can eat well unmotivated.
You can get out of bed unmotivated.
And you can do those things stressed, tired, angry and lonely, too.
You don’t have to wait for the feeling to pass.
Bring the feeling with you.
I didn’t want to eat breakfast this morning. I wasn’t the least bit motivated to fix a cabbage salad bowl. I felt those things as I pulled the cabbage out of the fridge and made it happen.
Don’t overwhelm yourself by thinking about future choices. Just commit to doing this one thing, unmotivated. Prove to yourself that you can eat well, workout, save money or be kind even when you don’t feel like it.
Do it just this once. Then, do it again.
You don’t have to be motivated. You have to be committed.
Resources For When You Have No Motivation
Primal Potential Podcasts on Motivation