"mOtiVAtiON"

You might not have asked for it but it’s probably the thing I am asked about the most in a question box.

I might come across as a motivated individual if people keep asking me that (I’m actually only motivated early in the day. I’m very lazy in the afternoons.)

It’s not actually motivation that has makes me do the things that I don’t always want to do.

It is discipline and it is momentum.

So many people are sitting waiting for “motivation” to do something that they know that they should be doing, when what they need is self-discipline and perhaps a self-sacrifice (of time, effort, nice things).

They sit and ask people where they can get motivated to go to the gym because they don’t have the self-discipline to do it.

But where does the discipline come from? From really knowing what you want.

If you really wanted to be fitter, you wouldn’t be sitting on the couch.

If you really wanted to get up earlier, you would get up earlier.

If you really wanted to change your body, you would have more discipline with food.

(I feel like I should point out here that obviously I’m not saying you should be doing all these things - I’m just relating it to questions I’ve been asked re: motivation) 

If you say you want to do something, just do it.

And then do it again.

And this is where momentum comes in.

If you are seeing the benefit of your new behaviour, then you are much more likely to keep it up. The momentum carries you when the self-discipline wains. 

And that’s why I do things when I don’t want to do it. Like this email.

It’s 5pm on a Saturday evening and I’m about to jump on another call but I set the task of writing a helpful email each day in quarantine. I know I want to do it because it helps you get to know me and my ethos better, which will help when I eventually open my program.

I didn’t want to do it, but because of all the times I’ve seen the benefits of my self-discipline - it gave me the “motivation” to open an email and start writing. And here we are.

So if you are looking for motivation, you're looking for the wrong thing. Find your “why”. And practice some self-discipline. Hopefully you will then see the benefits.

Thanks for reading,

Siobhan “Just Do It would make a good slogan” O’Hagan