This post is all about motivation, as it’s a massive stumbling block for people no matter what their goals are. I’ll share my secret to how to stay motivated so you can live the life of your dreams.

Let’s start with this simple fact;

We will only be motivated if getting where we want to go is more important than staying where we are. 

This means, we often feel that motivation kicks in when we sense something on the other side of the action is going to bring about a reward – attention, positive feedback, happiness, success, etc. 

The first thing we need to know about motivation is; 

• It won’t last. It’s a kickstarter at best. 
• You can’t rely on it to get anywhere good, and
• You can’t wait for it. It doesn’t just come out of the blue 

So I have a bit of a formula I like to teach around this, and it involves three pieces – inspiration, motivation, and discipline. So stick around if you’re wondering how to stay motivated, so you can understand this more holistically.

If you’re wanting to know how to stay motivated, know that Inspiration comes first

To become motivated, you need to get inspired by something. This may be a friend, a celebrity, a stranger, anyone really. They do something and this lights you up inside as you connect to how this may make you feel for yourself. 

Inspiration is a sign of something that is going to help you grow from the inside out. I am a true believer in the concept that we all have a blueprint within us, and the body knows what it needs in order to be healthy, happy and whole and it will constantly fight for it. 

So when you feel that inspiration, this is the universe’s way of tapping you on the shoulder and telling you that there is something magical awaiting this journey. So you should never ignore this inspiration. 

Inspiration is then followed by your wanting to do something. And this is where the motivation comes in. 

Motivation is driven by movement 

Once you feel inspired, you will likely then feel ‘motivated’. The body responds naturally with an energy from within and when this feeling comes, movement is easier. This is that feeling we all hang onto, and expect to stay forever! 

The first thing you need to do when this urge comes is to take action. 

What do you need to do? Do you need to call someone? Join something? Find out more information? What is it that needs to be put in place for this task to be completed? 

At this stage, I generally recommend; 

• Write down what the goal is
• Write down the feeling you’re seeking, and feelings are actually what drives us above all else. When you look at that thing that sparked the inspiration, what did you feel? What do you think he or she feels? That’s likely what you are connecting with. 
• Write down what your life will look like if you achieve this goal. This helps you to establish what actions need to be taken. 

For example if it is a weight loss goal, you would do the following; 

• How much weight do you need to lose and what do you want to look like in the end? Now check if it’s specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based?
• What is it about this inspirational piece that has motivated you? What did you want to feel at the end? Energised? Happy? Joyful? Free?
• What will your life look like? Do you need to eat healthy
• er? Do you need to join a gym? Do you need to hire a nutritionist, trainer or coach? 

And then, you need to get moving on it. Understand motivation will not stick around, which brings me to my third piece – discipline

Discipline is key if you want to stay motivated

Discipline is the conscious focus we have on our goals. It’s the actions we take even when we don’t feel like it. Nobody achieves a weight loss goal without motivation wavering, just as nobody completes a university or college degree without wondering if they have made the right choice. 

Discipline keeps us on the path. It’s the engine that keeps going, and the closer you get to your goals, the more motivated you become. 

So waiting on motivation, or even inspiration, is not the key to success. The success lies in the details – pushing through uncomfortable parts and acting like a winner even when you feel like a loser. 

Achieving goals is all about being who you want to be in the future. 

You can’t achieve any goal if you aren’t being the person you need to be. You can’t eat junk food and not exercise, and also lose weight and get fit. This seems obvious, but people do often have this problem. They want to be strong and healthy but they don’t want to change their diet or exercise. 

This means, there is no desire at the end to be better than you are, which if you remember from the beginning, is the number one requirement if you are to ever take action on something. 

I want to point out in closing too that it is totally OK if you don’t want to achieve a particular outcome badly enough. In this instance you can; 

1. Assess whether or not this is an internally motivated goal. The best way you can suss this one out is to explore whether or not you would still do it, if no one was watching you. 
2. If you recognise that you would, but you still don’t feel motivated, this requires some deeper exploration. What is it that’s keeping you stuck in a cycle of holding back from things that are important to you? What’s in the way? Pro tip – it is usually fear, or a belief that it is unsafe to pursue it. 

If you identify that the goal is just not right for you, then work on owning where you are alright now. If you identify it is right for you but there is something in the way, your first goal would be to remove those obstacles somehow. 

So that’s all for this week, I hope this has helped you understand motivation better!

I explore this in depth in Magical Mindset, so if you’re wanting to overcome this obstacle (plus many, many more), check that out!

Jen X