Welcome to December … it’s officially the month where motivation is the lowest it’ll be all year.
Good thing the year is almost over ;).
There are holidays, early darkness, and cold AF weather (depending on where you live).
All of which make it very easy to say … eff it … I just don’t feel like doing what I know I should do.
The gyms will get lonely soon.
Many a MyFitnessPal streak will be broken (IYKYK).
And, lots of grand proclamations will be made about all the changes that will start on January 1st.
Here’s the thing about motivation …
It’s completely misunderstood.
We use it as a crutch.
We treat it as something much different than what it really is.
Motivation is simply … a feeling. An emotion.
Feelings and emotions are transient.
They come and go like the wind.
Consider the emotional spectrum that you experience over the course of days, weeks, months, etc.
Are you always one emotion?
Are you angry 24/7?
Maybe if you’re an Eagles fan, but even we win a game here and there and even got a Super Bowl in 2017.
Are you always happy?
Maybe if it’s medically induced 😉 (joking)
The point is that emotions are temporary.
Relying on any emotional state to get shit done is a risky proposition.
Once I’m motivated, then I’ll start moving my body and eating better.
That’s like saying, once I’m happy, then I’ll move out of my mother’s basement.
We spend our entire lives doing things that we know are in our best interest, even though we don’t always feel like doing them.
How many days were you actually motivated to go to school?
How many days do you wake up and feel motivated to go to work?
It’s probably hit or miss.
Because motivation is fleeting.
Now, there are certain internal drivers that make us take action.
The 3 main internal drivers for motivation (and by motivation, I really just mean taking action) are…
Pleasure, recognition, and safety/security.
Some people go to the gym because of the dopamine and endorphin release that they get.
Some people do it because they want to be noticed.
Other people do it for a sense of safety and control.
When you’re trying to establish a habit and routines that can withstand the lack of motivation, it’s important to understand the way you’re wired.
This is the exact reason that once we implement our Neurotyping principles with our clients. They often say … “This is crazy … I’ve never been able to stay consistent like this before!”
I literally overheard a conversation with Mel and one of her clients who thought she was pretty consistent before.
But, after starting with POP and working with Mel, she said that now she realizes that she’s actually consistent for the first time and it almost feels too easy.
Because it helps to know how you’re wired.
It’s a massive advantage to work with your nature vs. fighting against it.
We don’t rely on motivation and we certainly don’t tell our clients to wait to be motivated.
However, we do put them in the best position to be consistent, to establish habits that make them feel their best, and to not feel like motivation is necessary for action.
They often say things like … this is so motivating.
In reality, they just have never worked with their brain chemistry before so every other program they’ve tried has simply been an exercise in willpower and discipline.
I prefer to rely less on willpower and discipline so that those batteries stay charged for longer and that way, they can be used selectively.
This is a month, unfortunately, where a lot of people will lose steam.
A lot of people will feel the impact of the holidays, the sun going down early, and the cold weather …
And, they’ll blame a lack of motivation.
Not our clients.
Our clients won’t need to search for motivation.
They’ll be following their life plans that allow for flexibility and freedom.
They’ll have good days and bad days, but will continue to play the long game which will lead to inevitable success.
January 1st won’t mean anything different except they’ll be even closer to their goals by then.
The same can be true for you.
All you need to do is shoot me a PM on FB and tell me that you’re interested in our coaching program.
We’ll have a quick chat to make sure it’s a good fit before we move forward.
