Finding Motivation No Matter What
Do you ever wonder why it is that one day you’re extremely motivated and one day you could absolutely care less? It’s as if this thing called motivation is something you’re always chasing, and are usually just one step behind finding. Kind of like Bigfoot or the Lockness Monster. We thought we saw it…..Or did we?
One week your making dream boards, posting motivational quotes on Pinterest, cooking all organic, and killing your workouts. The next week you’re looking for any and every excuse NOT to workout, eating Oreos, and have decided now is the perfect time for you to go dust your attic and organize the garage. It can be the same way in our marriages, relationships, and friendships. Think back to the beginning of every relationship you’ve had. At first, you were excited and MOTIVATED to work on the relationship. You were serving, complementing, and going above and beyond to please the other person. But after awhile, it waned and now you find yourself struggling to stay consistent as you are constantly ask yourself “Where did my fire go?”. Then you beat yourself up and try to do a bunch of things to motivate yourself back to how you were originally. Sadly, motivation doesn’t stay around for very long and thus the viscous cycle continues. Exhausting isn’t it?
So wouldn’t it be amazing if you could master this thing called motivation? If you could capture it once and for all, and make it your own? Can you imagine how different your life would be if your approach to motivation was more like a Ferris Wheel than a roller coaster? Consistent instead of all over the place? Well, let me let you in on some secrets:
1. MOTIVATION IS A LIE.
Think about some of your favorite movies and why you love them. Odds are it’s because of how they made you FEEL. Right? I love watching movies like Rocky or Remember the Titans because they make me FEEL motivated and I LIKE to FEEL motivated!
Motivation is an emotion , and just like any emotion, is subject to change based on circumstance. So, I hear people say this all the time, “I just can’t seem to get motivated” or “I just can’t seem to get going”. Heck, I’ve said it. The reason we say this is because we fail to realize that motivation is an emotion we have yet to master. The same as happy, angry, sad, etc. We believe this LIE that we have to be motivated in order to achieve or do something and become slaves to our emotions. This is exhausting and unnecessary !! Friends, if you are making decisions today based on whether or not you FEEL motivated to do it or not, your emotional life is going to resemble a roller coaster ride at Six Flags. You can only ride a roller coaster for so long.
Repeat after me:
Motivation is an emotion. I am the master of my emotions and not a slave to them. Therefore, I do things REGARDLESS of how motivated I feel to do them.
2. Discipline is the new Motivation. Exchange them today.
Understand there will be times when you FEEL more motivated than others. Understand this is an emotional high and temporary. Rejoice in that emotion! But don’t live your life chasing it. Instead, exchange motivation for discipline. Discipline determines what you will do when motivation is gone. Discipline means you DO IT ANY WAY regardless of how you feel. Discipline determines leadership. It’s the number one way to get off the roller coaster of emotion and on the Ferris Wheel. The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom on this subject. These are just a few.
Proverbs 5:23
“For lack of discipline they will die, led astray be their own great folly.”
Proverbs 10:4
“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.”
Proverbs 13:4
“A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”
Repeat after me:
Today I exchange discipline for motivation. I am a leader, therefore I am disciplined. I do things that others don’t feel like and because of this character quality, I have fruit that others don’t have.
I hope this helps you this week! Put it in to practice and let me know how it goes.
Leave me a comment below. I love hearing about what helps!
Speaking the truth in love,
Lindsey
Get real talk, no B.S. business advice on creating a business doing what you love.