Motivation is Garbage
Have you ever seen an appointment on your calendar and felt instant dread? You know what I'm talking about. Things you schedule with the full intention of doing until, that is, it's time to actually do them.
Yea, I had one of those recently. Ugh, a luncheon. A women's networking luncheon. Why I wanted to go in the first place was escaping me and I'm plotting how to get out of it. Inevitably, I talk myself into going. It's networking, I say. I'll meet potential clients, I say. It's free food, I say. (Guess which one convinced me?)
Short story short: I go, I meet some cool women, I hear an inspiring speaker, I make a new client connection (who just booked me!) and I go home feeling really happy I went.
Now, if you had given me the out the night before, I would have taken it. I had zero motivation. I just flat out did not feel like it. My logical brain knew it was important, but my emotional brain wasn't into it. I'm debating back and forth, waiting for some slice of motivation to fall out of the sky and land on my head, when I think of these words from author Mel Robbins, "Motivation is garbage."
Ha. Garbage! She says stop waiting to feel motivated, it's useless. Mel spells it out: You will NEVER FEEL MOTIVATED to do anything you don't feel like doing.
Working out, eating better, doing laundry, pulling weeds, going to the dentist, cleaning the garage, heading out for a run, going to a dreaded luncheon. Never.
Motivation is a feeling. The problem being, we all keep waiting to feel motivated to do the things we don't feel like doing. And that ain't ever gonna happen. Even though we know doing the thing is good for us, that it will bring us some benefit or result.
The feeling we are seeking? It doesn't come before the thing, it comes after the thing. I don't often (aka ever) feel like getting up at 5 am to run. Yet, most times I feel great after I do. The feeling I am seeking? That great feeling, it comes after the thing.
Just do the thing.
Don't wait for a feeling to begin. Motivation is garbage. Do the thing and I promise, you'll feel good after.
p.s. for more on motivation (or lack thereof), grab a copy of Mel's new book The 5 Second Rule.
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