Motivation Comes After Your Action

Lately I've had several projects that, by themselves, seemed like brillant, exciting ideas. After all, sitting in self-isolation for a few months has given me more time to think and create. My problem is that I have not had a lot of motivation to act on them. I've been waiting for the right inspiration to move me.

Have you ever spent time, waiting for inspiration to strike? Maybe you had to complete that task that required just a bit more imaginative thinking, but you weren't feeling it. You may have even tried all sorts of ways to discover motivation-- maybe by scanning the internet for ideas and inspiration. Or possibly you tried to find inspiration in nature, by taking a walk.

Did it work? You may have found a dab of motivation wrapped up in inspiration and it might have launched you-- for about ten minutes. And then you were back to feeling uninspired. Before too long, that sensation was coupled with the idea that maybe you simply weren't capable of creativity. Or just lazy.

What I've found is that by seeking out motivation initially, you're putting the cart before to the horse.

Real inspiration and creativity works best when it comes after the action has already started. If that holds true, then what can you do to get motivated to start?

Two Ideas To Jumpstart Your Motivation

1. Start by doing something.

Anything. Any action itself motivates motion. How do you do that? By utilizing the momentum of something you've already started. Even if it is just an idea on a piece of paper, do something with it. This initial forward movement motivates you to take the next step and keep going. It's the distinction between the 'carrot' and the 'stick.'.

In the old timeless example, to move a donkey forward (donkeys are stubborn animals) you have two choices. One is to use a stick. In this case, the 'stick' is the old method of inspiring ourselves, where we try to force ourselves into action by throwing a lot of "You must do this now" statements at ourselves.

Instead of starting with the stick, switch to the 'carrot' or the reward. This technique of motivation is more positive because you see yourself already doing something and asking yourself to keep going. Essentially you are saying to yourself, "Hooray for you, look at how much you have actually gotten done today, let's see just how much more you can do!".

The problem is, often action alone isn't enough and we're still forcing ourselves along. That's where the second approach comes into play.

2. Act 'As-if"

The idea behind this method is simple-- if you act like you're currently motivated, then you'll feel motivated. It's sort of like making yourself smile when you're not happy. When you do this you realize as soon as you're smiling that you're feeling better.

Together these 2 simple emotional hacks will inspire you even when you're not feeling inspired. Keep in mind that action is the secret. Act first-- the motivation will follow. You'll be astonished at the distinction.