Motivation is overrated!
Ok, y’all, buckle-up. Here comes some tough love. Those of you who only know me within the scope of my life as a yoga teacher, might not like this side of me too much. Those of you who know me in pretty much any other arena of my life, will not be surprised by this little rant. Just know that it comes from a place of love <3
I’ve been reading a lot of posts lately about lack of motivation. I belong to several fitness-y type groups for women and this seems to be a common theme lately. And if I’m honest, I hear it a lot out in the world too, sometimes from some of you ?
Granted, as a trainer, a nutrition nerd and someone who makes a living out of being fit and healthy in general, I understand that I’m that person people will talk to about this. It’s not like they’re sharing it with every other random person they encounter throughout the day. I could be wrong about this.
The lack of motivation gripe takes one of these forms…
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I just can’t find the motivation to go to the gym…”
“How do you stay motivated? I know what to do, but I just can’t seem to do it…”
“I’m so tired from work and kids and family, I just can’t squeeze in time to workout..”
“Sigh. I was doing so great and then I lost my motivation.”
Ok. Remember, I’m saying this with love… BITCH, PLEASE!
Here’s the thing: motivation is overrated. Motivation is fleeting… at best. Here’s the big one: motivation has zero to do with you hitting your goals and living the life you want to live. I know… that’s crazy! We live in this meme-driven culture and everyone is waiting for that perfect image to propel them into the lifestyle they want. Everyone seems to be waiting for #magic #expectmiracles and other hot hashtags to sweep in and take over their lives. But believe me, there is no #motivationmonday image that is going to get you there. There is only one way to get from point A (where you are now) to point B (where you want to go) and that’s by doing the work. And THAT, my friends, doesn’t come from motivation. That comes from discipline.
Forget motivation. It’s all about discipline. Discipline means you do the work whether you want to or not, whether you’re inspired or not. You just keep showing up. Don’t feel like it? Too bad. Put on your big girl pants and show up anyway.
I’ll give you my own humbling example. Mondays are leg day for me. I squat, deadlift, lunge, hip thrust, sumo squat… etc. That means that on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, just lowering my booty to the toilet seat is an adventure. What I want to do is… nothing. But I have a run scheduled on one of those days. Now, I’ll put that run off as long as I can on that day; I will walk around all day dreading it. When I can’t put it off any longer, I put on my gear, lace up my shoes and go. You might be thinking that I’ll go on now about how once I get out there, I feel great and am so happy that I got it in. You’d be wrong! Those runs suck. Every step is miserable. It feels like I’m running through pudding. Sure, every once in a long while, my legs will loosen up and feel slightly less shitty, but those are few and far between.
I do it anyway. Why? Because it matters. Because my goals matter. Because I matter. And in case you’re wondering, YOU matter. Your goals matter. So keep showing up.
I will leave you with this final thought. There is great pride that come from showing discipline. There is a beautiful, lasting feeling that comes from that moment where you admit to yourself that you really don’t want to do something (exercise or spend a day meal prepping so you can healthily all week) and YOU DO IT ANYWAY. Looking for magic? You found it. You might even become addicted to that feeling of triumph. That will become your motivation. Try it!