Motivation is Overrated

We make motivation out to be this thing that is constantly keeping us going, but is it?

During a conversation I had with someone, we were discussing the topic of what motivation was, and I made the comment that I felt motivation was similar to emotion. It isn’t constant, it goes up and down, and it comes out of nowhere. We don’t always feel motivated and it never comes when we want it to. In my mind, motivation is the start, the inspiration that gets us going and we have to learn to take advantage of that motivated beginning and learn to be consistent. To take the motivation and keep the work going after it fades off.

We are motivated by what we find interesting, or by what we wish to achieve, but to actually attain what we have as goals we need to be consistent when we are not motivated as well. That “emotion” will wear off eventually and we can either use it or lose it.

Motivation is “the desire or will to do something” It isn’t the first thing we feel in the morning to start our day. We often lack the desire to start activities or begin our day, but that isn’t to say we can’t have motivation. We have to learn to build healthy habits in day-to-day life, because consistency is how we can succeed in daily life. We can’t see a mountain sunrise unless we learn to keep putting one foot in front of the other until we reach the top. We may be tired and exhausted trying to get there, but for the final result to come we have to be diligent.

“Where there’s a will there’s a way” … but what if there is no will?

Getting motivation isn’t like ordering your favorite food. You can’t pick and choose how much and how often you get it. So we must take advantage when we are motivated. Often times we never attempt what we desire because if we can’t make ourselves begin then we have already failed. We need to learn to recognize those moments of inspiration and drive that can get us started so we can then achieve what we want. What is important also is how we motivate others. It is difficult to motivate yourself, but it takes less work to do so for others. We need to learn to motivate each other so that we can push and challenge each other forward in life. Whether it be simple every day tasks or difficult goals that we have to work hard for. We have to learn to motivate ourselves, but also recognize when to motivate those around us.

How do you view motivation?