The Motivation Myth

Motivation is a myth.

Wait, I know what you are thinking. It is motivation I need. If I just had enough motivation, I’d be able to conquer the world. Or, at least, crush my goals. Motivation is everything. 

But here’s the thing. Most of us equate motivation with a feeling that we want to take a particular action. Meaning, you think if you were motivated, you would feel like making a green smoothie for breakfast, walking on a cloudy day, saving for retirement or getting off social media and back to work.

You’re convinced that if you wanted the end result enough, you’d feel like doing the work needed to get there. 

And that is the myth. You will not crush your goals and make your dreams come true if you wait until you feel like doing the work you need to do. You just have to do the work. Even when you don’t feel like it. Especially when you don’t feel like it.

If you ask, well, pretty much anyone, whether or not they want a financially secure retirement, most people will respond with a resounding yes, that is something they really, really want. The desire for the result is strong. So if a strong desire for the outcome was the key to having the motivation to do the work, most people would be actively saving for retirement. But they aren’t. According to a 2019 by Northwestern Mutual, merely 20% of Americans have more than $5,000 saved for retirement.

If you ask anyone who is living at an unhealthy weight (which, by the way is more than 68% of Americans), most would tell you that they have a strong, strong desire to lose weight and get healthy. Most want to avoid preventable disease, be able to play with their kids and their grandchildren and live to a ripe, old age.

So if motivation was just a function of the strength of one’s desire for the outcome, pretty much every one of us would be walking around at a comfortable, healthy weight, with an investment portfolio sufficient to carry us through our later years.

We all know it doesn't work that way. At all.

Nevertheless, most of us continue to believe the myth that if we just had more motivation we’d feel like doing the things we need to do to get where we want to go. In fact, there is a tremendous disconnect between desire for an outcome and the desire to do the work that it takes to get that outcome. 

You can’t wait until you feel motivated. You just have to do the thing or take the action. 

It doesn’t matter if I feel like it or not, I’m doing it anyway.

Okay, sure, there are ways to hack your motivation. Create great habits. Remember your why. Make sure your goals are Goldilocks Goals—achievable but challenging. Build yourself a supportive team. Track your progress and celebrate your successes.

And yes, all of those things matter. A lot. 

But waiting until you “find the motivation” to get to work? Nope. Just get to work.