Finding Motivation

Motivation is a huge topic of interest these days, but what exactly is it? How does it work ? How can you find motivation when you’re not up to the challenge? Let’s discuss.

Let’s Define Motivation

Motivation refers to the willingness to do something. The two types of motivation are: Intrinsic - doing an activity for satisfaction and because you genuinely want to Extrinsic - doing something because of external motivation, such as getting a reward or suffering a consequence

A Crucial Point About Motivation

Most people believe that motivation always precedes action. In other words, you experience motivation and then do something. For example, you watch a Tik Tok video and get motivated to exercise. While that is one example of motivation, there is another, more powerful way we can leverage it. Sometimes, motivation comes after taking action. For example, you might feel sluggish and tired, but if you flex your discipline muscle and go to the gym, you’re likely to feel more motivated to train. So, you shouldn’t wait for motivation to come. Instead, you should seek ways to get started and allow motivation to keep you going.

How to Find Motivation: 3 Crucial Tactics

1. Schedule It

Successful and unsuccessful people often have the same goals. Finding someone who doesn’t want to be fit, wealthy, or happy would be difficult. Yet, despite the similarities with goal setting, many people struggle to succeed. One huge reason is that people who are genuinely serious about their goals set specific plans for taking action. In contrast, those who fail usually do because they wait for motivation to strike. You're bound to fail if you hope to make the time or have the energy to train. Instead, you must be proactive and get specific on: When you’ll exercise What you’ll do during each session Where your workouts will take place Doing so makes you more likely to follow through because you know exactly what you’ll be doing each time and what you would miss by not showing up.

2. Set a Sustainable Pace

Another critical tactic for finding motivation and being more consistent is doing things at a sustainable pace. People often struggle to be consistent simply because they try to do too much! Look at your life and ask yourself, “What training program can I sustain?” If that means working out 2 days per week, so be it. It’s much better to be consistent three days per week than work out daily for a while and give up.

3. Don’t Break The Chain

We all know life gets in the way sometimes. Family emergencies, social events, and unexpected situations can derail us briefly and cause us to miss workouts. What matters most is that you don’t let such events break the consistency chain. To achieve that, you must return to your training plan as soon as possible. For example, let’s say that you had to miss your Monday workout due to an emergency. In that case, go back to the gym on Wednesday and do your best.

You got this!