Motivation Myths

Written by: Alan Rodway - Your Coach Online

The Motivation Myth

This high performance action / article is the answer to anyone’s woes in ‘motivation’.

Note the colours of the print below:

  • Blue print = High Performance
  • Red Print = No Go Zone
  • Normal Print = Commentary

Do you have motive? Right question!
Do you feel motivated? Wrong question!

If you don’t have motive, then be honest with yourself and drop the charade. Admit to yourself that a ‘Would be nice to have…’ is vastly different to ‘I really want this’. The former is a thought … the latter is motive.

If you do have motive then at any given time do you feel like doing what it takes (to succeed)?

If Yes, do it !

If Not, you have two choices … Ask why you don’t feel like doing it OR Do what it takes to succeed even though you don’t feel like doing it.

If you Ask why you don’t feel like doing it:

  • You may take you quite some time before you find the answer.
  • You may not know what to do with the answer if you can find one.
  • You may not be able to find the answer.
  • The answer could make you feel worse.
  • You may feel worse by just spending time trying to figure out why you don’t feel motivated when you think that you should.
  • It can lead to self doubt overall because ‘you often don’t feel like doing what it takes’.
  • It may lead you to seek counsel from someone else or a professional (heaven forbid).
  • You are likely to concentrate on trying to make yourself feel like doing it rather than just doing it (the latter being much easier)

If you do what it takes to succeed even though you don’t feel like doing it:

  • You will feel good because you did it.
  • It will take you closer to success because of the action.
  • You will realize, internalize and enjoy the fact that actions are always possible despite what you feel like doing at the time.
  • You will find it easier to act as required next time, even though you don’t feel like it, because you experienced the simplicity and the good feeling after doing it last time.

So:

  • You must establish clear motive .. the reason to do… the driving force behind required actions and behaviours.
  • Then determine the required actions … daily, weekly, monthly, etc. … to achieve the objective.
  • Then implement the required actions, irrespective of whether you feel ‘motivated’ or not … realizing that sometimes you will and sometimes you won’t.
  • Understand the difference between the ‘mind game’ and the ‘action game’. The saying ‘It’s all in the mind’ is wrong … ‘It’s all in the action’. The mind carries the motive but the body performs the actions. Play the action game … it’s far simpler and far easier.

So:

Unless you don’t have motive or have lost it … do what it takes … irrespective of what silly and confusing games your mind and human emotions play on you.

Psychologists, performance coaches and sporting coaches have made a fortune playing to the ‘motivation myth’, engaging endless conversations and coaching to help people feel like doing what they should, mostly in vain, as people continue to experience natural human emotions that lead them to ask the wrong questions “Why don’t I feel like doing it?” and “How do I get myself to feel like doing it?”

Never use the words ‘motivation’, ‘motivated’ or ‘feel’ … always use the words ‘motive’ and ‘do’.

So:

If you have motive and you feel like doing what it takes to succeed, then do it. If you have motive and you don’t feel like doing what it takes to succeed, then do it anyway. You’ll be amazed at what your body is capable of.

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