Motivation …. when will it arrive?

Coming to the end of the year and I start to notice a lot of people lose their high levels of motivation as they start to wind down for the year. I get it. We get tired and need a break to refresh and recharge for the year to come.

 

But during the year I find myself having similar conversations with people about motivation, their lack of, them wondering when they will get motivated again and why aren’t they motivated. All great questions and in my experience, they can be answered simply.

 

Motivation isn’t something that arrives at your front door. It doesn’t smack you in the face at 4:30am and scream “I’M SO EXCITED!”. Motivation doesn’t happen on the first day of the 8 week challenge and then stick around for 12 months consistently after that. It comes in ebbs and flows.

So when does it come?

Well, from my experience it can take some time, and in that time there needs to be a consistent work habit.

 

So let’s say you have signed up for the 8 week challenge and you want to lose 10kg. We know the first few weeks are going to be a shock to the system. Early rises. Change in routine. Extra tired while you adjust to the new exercise sessions and so on. Then after a few weeks you start to lose some weight and you start to get some momentum. The early mornings still might be a little bit of a drag, but you can see them working. Four to five weeks in you are starting to enjoy the sessions more. You’ve made some new friends and you are consistently eating better. The results are still happening. Week seven you are looking for ways to keep this all going post the eight weeks. Making plans, setting up your weekly routine. Week eleven you are still motivated because you have stuck to a regular routine for some time now and things are getting easier. Sure, you could stay in bed (couldn’t we all?) but it’s worth it and you can’t imagine your mornings any other way.

 

While not everyone’s timelines will fit this exact story, my point is, a lot of people I speak to wait for motivation before they start something. In fact, it’s the other way around. You must start something and then the motivation happens.

 

So next time you notice you start to fall off the motivation train, write down your goals and review them regularly. This will help to keep you inspired.

J