Are you Free Enough to be Motivated?
Why talk about motivation? Well in the last blog post I went over the feeling of obligation and what it does to us. On the one hand, with obligation we get things done because we feel there is no other option, you just got to do it for maybe a self-imposed reason, external pressure, or to make a livelihood. On the other hand, motivation is the opposite, it’s like the optimistic side of obligation because with motivation you do things because you’re inspired and fueled by love, hope, courage, truth, humanity, honor, and /or a sense of destiny.
Rest assured that you can’t always be feeling hyped or motivated to be doing something and that’s perfectly normal. However, it can also be reassuring to know that your body is somewhat programmed to help you achieve positive things and likewise to avert negative associations; dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, gets you motivated about something even before reaping the rewards, which is pretty amazing when you think about it. This means that in addition to taking actions to set yourself up for success, in most cases your body is also doing the same; you just have to help it along.
We are human right, so we can’t always be motivated, it’s a journey of highs and lows, but it is important to be aware that motivation does drive the decisions we make, and it also influences our behavior. So, wouldn’t it be great if we knew how to cultivate motivation to help us accomplish our goals? First, we must start with finding out what motivation is—particularly, what motivates us. Also, what role does motivation play in our everyday life and does it have an impact on our journey to achieving a FIT lifestyle—healthy mind, body, and soul.
I think motivation is at the core of all we do because it’s connected to who we are, the passion we feel, and the desire to accomplish what we want. When you think about it, we are lucky to be able to experience the feeling of motivation, it is the outcome of our foundational values as human beings—love, hope, courage, truth, humanity, honor, and destiny—that come together.
Ask yourself, “what motivates me?” For me, I would honestly say that it’s you all who take the time to read these blog posts, leave a like or comment on social media, and my dedicated clients who work hard week after week; that might be cliché to say, but it’s true. Put differently, what motivates me is all the things I have accomplished thus far and all those I haven’t yet, which pushes me to keep striving for more.
Is motivation innate? Do we feel motivated because of our core capability to love, have hope, courage, or is motivation a skill we develop along the way to help us cope with the challenges we face in the pursuit of a goal? There isn’t a right or wrong answer really since when you think about it, the common element is the outcome, which is being motivated. Knowingly or not, we undertake actions to help ignite the desire of more. For instance, the fight for systemic change often feels never-ending, but one thing we can do it to keep showing up until change unfolds; the fire in us that helps us to keep showing up is motivation. We could even say it’s a desire to inspire ourselves for the ideal of betterment, the never-ending quest that ignites the desire to keep pushing ourselves and I would hope that never stopes. Don’t get me wrong, more isn’t always better but the openness to betterment, to wanting to meet goals, is part of progress and it’s the daily repeated actions that create a positive and lasting impact on ourselves, those around us, and the society we live in.
The thing with motivation is that it can come from the least expected sources or areas but when we find it, we should take the time to acknowledge it because it is with motivation that we feel that sense of purpose and that desire to act. From a fitness perspective, what makes you decide to work out during the day? For me, it’s always been about something I can control. It’s my time to focus on me and I feel so awesome after—I know I’m doing good for my body so it can sustain healthy as I age. More so, it clears my brain to put focus on my day or things I want to accomplish. My motivation often comes from the sense of purpose I feel having accomplished something good for myself and it’s what helps me maintain a routine. All these things I listed are anticipated rewards that generate a feeling of motivation to repeat the action.
You know the more I think of motivation and wonder where I can find it, the more I’m hoping the answer is, for the most part, from myself. Why would someone else be responsible for motivating me? Others can inspire you, but the work has to come from within. It’s about finding motivation that works for you. Keep in mind motivation comes from a lot of places. It can come from a person, from an inner drive to accomplish something. Something on a bucket list. A goal.
So, be free to inspire—when you remove some pressure from yourself and feel complete (at peace with where you are), you’ll experience a feeling of relief, which is freeing, even empowering, and helps create space to feel inspired and motivated. Have you noticed that we feel the most motivated when we are feeling confident?
It’s all about the day-to-day dedication, so celebrate who you are every day and free your mind by letting in the hope, courage, truth, humanity, honor, and sense of destiny, don’t be afraid to be motivated and aim for what you want. Life is complicated enough that we have to be our own cheerleaders and remember along the way to put out a helping hand when we can.
How motivated are you?
Great read! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it!
I agree with you that I am more motivated when I’m feeling confident. It’s important to keep our self-esteem high as much as possible to keep pushing forward when life gets difficult. Thanks for sharing this article!
Confidence is the key!
I think that the intrinsic motivation is the best you can have to reach your goals. Having extrinsic motivation is good, too, it helps you boost your journey. However, extrinsic motivation is not as strong as your inner motives. Thanks for this post!
Its true to be dedicated every day. It does take a lot of determination to be successful. This is something is I’m working on it.
Being motivated daily brings encouragement for sure. I appreciate your blog post. Thank you for sharing. ☺️
Good info, I will keep it in mind.
Thank you for reading!
This is an excellent post. I want to highlight one section that is truly inspiring if I may. ( Why would someone else be responsible for motivating me? Others can inspire you, but the work has to come from within.) You really hit the nail on the head right there! Thank you for your post, I truly enjoyed it.
Glad you enjoyed the blog. Stay tuned for more.
Wonderful read, I love the link between inspiration and motivation you made…whilst I agree motivation comes from within ourselves, inspiration and appreciation can also be the little secret nudge to feed the motivation…to be better within us…
Thank you!
I definitely feel more motivated when I am feeling confident and when I am taking care of myself properly. However, I also find it just as easy to lose my motivation. Great post!
You are not alone. We all experience that lack of motivation from time to time.
Nice mini deep dive into motivation! You’ve really helped set some foundations here. I am particularly fascinated in the science behind it.
Glad you enjoyed the blog and hope you will do that deeper dive into the science of it.
I love reading post that are positive and yours is just that. Thank you shedding some light on a darkened world.
Thank you for taking the time to read it and appreciate it.
Interesting. I do struggle with motivation
I use the sense of accomplishment and the feel-good vibe I experience after working out as a motivation, especially when I don’t feel like moving a finger.
I think it’s also, like you said, about taking responsibility for your own health and life.
No one can do it for us!
Good for you Mayra. That sounds like an excellent approach for you.
It’s true that understanding your motivation for doing something can be the determining factor between success and giving up. It is good that you’re giving people a way to identify and tap into their motivation.
I love that you said we need to be our own motivation. For me that means connecting to what matters most to us and that is absolutely where we should find out motivation for life. Thanks for sharing!
Such an important message here! I love that you don’t shame us or yourself for those moments where motivation is hard to find. We are just human and it’s normal for our motivation to ebb and flow. It’s so much better to focus on how you can find more of it rather than just shaming yourself for those moments when it is hard to find. Great read!
I love these kinds of posts. Motivates me more everytime.
Beautiful post, it is well thought out and I very much enjoyed it. Inspiring!
I love where you end by saying we should be our own cheerleaders – yes!
Great read! I sometimes feel like I go through ebbs and flows of motivation.
As someone with ADHD, I struggle to maintain motivation. This was a beautiful and inspiring read, thank you so much!
This was a great post! I love how you broke down motivation. It is an important factor for sure in taking action, whether it be for our benefit of for that of others.
I agree, sometimes motivations comes in any forms and sometimes within our innerself too. I get mine from podcasts, films, short IG vids and myself and with others too.