* Sigh *

In my email newsletter last week, I promised a new blog this week. And I even announced that it would be about MOTIVATION! (You know, that magical and elusive thing that we are all trying to get more of in our life)

I swore to myself that I would have the post written by Tuesday (meaning a full week ago now), since I keep procrastinating and not writing my posts until Sunday night and then staying up too late and starting my week out on a VERY BAD NOTE which then continues all week into an awful, discordant melody that leaves me stressed out and useless by the end of the week.

And I did TRY to write this earlier in the week. But whatever BRILLIANT idea I thought I had last Sunday night (okay, Monday morning at about 1:27am give or take) was absolutely gone by the next day. And I tried to get back both the inspired idea and the motivation to write it, but neither came.

The week took over, and all of the day to day work, and auditions and meetings…and suddenly it was Thursday again, and I was so tired and anxious, that I couldn’t do much. My nervous system was just beyond depleted.

However, there’s a reason people talk about hitting rock bottom—because the one thing that being that absolutely depleted will do…is motivate you to change. On Thursday, I finally got fed up and took Facebook off my phone. If it’s easy to snack on chips when they’re within an arm’s reach—Facebook is the All-Dressed Ruffles Potato Chips of my phone apps.

There’s nothing like being at your wit’s end to make you take drastic steps that you weren’t willing to take before.

Humans are wired to avoid pain and seek pleasure. It’s honestly why we struggle to motivate ourselves to do certain things, and yet we beat ourselves up repeatedly, instead of seeking to understand how we can do better.

So, after all of that, a week after I hoped to have this post written, I’m finally finishing it. I hope these tips help you have a better week than mine last week!

Here are some of the things I know about motivation:

We can’t create more motivation - Our natural motivation is always working.

We are always motivated. We just aren’t always motivated to do the things say we want.

If you’re currently laying in bed scrolling social media because it’s cold and dreary outside, then that is what you are motivated to do. It’s not a lack of motivation at all.

Nature gifted us with motivation to keep us alive.

When we are hungry, we are motivated to eat. When we are exhausted, we are motivated to sleep. And so on, and so on. For every bodily urge and every emotion that goes with those things, we are motivated to take action. Even if we resist for a while, at some point the pain of not taking action becomes too great, and we are forced to do something already!

Motivation is largely caused by emotion.

You lay in bed because you are motivated to avoid the bad emotions that going outside would trigger. You also lay in bed because your body is seeking the dopamine from all those cute animal videos and funny memes. So by staying put, you both avoid pain and seek pleasure all at once.

But emotions are fleeting. We don’t tend to stay in the same state for very long.

Today, I woke up tired and annoyed that I had to get up. Then I did some work and felt focused. Then I showered and listened to a podcast, and I felt inspired. My cat threw up, and I worried. Later, I went for a walk in the sunshine and met a really cute little chocolate colored poodle and felt happy.

Any acting teacher worth their salt would tell you that the problem with a lot of people’s acting is that they act a general wash of emotion, rather than being specific about how each thing in a scene affects them. In real life, our emotions can change very quickly depending on the different things we are experiencing, and those emotions motivate us to do very different things depending on which ones are the most prominent.

The quickest way to motivate yourself to take a different action than the one you’re currently taking—is to change your emotional state.

Action leads to motivation. Not the other way around.

Because motivation waxes and wanes with our emotions and our mindset, we can’t rely on it to get us to do things consistently.

Instead of relying on fickle emotions, we would do better to cultivate our “bias towards action,” which is our willingness to get started IN SPITE OF any negative stories we may tell ourselves.

The key to maintaining motivation is discipline. Habits. Realizing that all we can control is the action we take today.

Motivation comes from the people and things we surround ourselves with.

Two sayings come to mind here.

The first is “Your network is your net worth.”

You know that one friend who always inspires you, because they have so much get-up-and-go? They know what they want, and they’re always moving toward their next goal, and every time you get together, you leave suddenly inspired to clean your house, change your hair color, write a grant proposal, AND start your online pattern business.

If you surround yourself with friends who are as ambitious as a rock, and you wonder why you just don’t feel motivated to even begin to start working toward your goals, that might be why.

The second saying is: “Garbage in, garbage out.”

According to the OED: “used to express the idea that in computing and other spheres, incorrect or poor quality input will always produce faulty output.”

Or in other words, you need to nourish your mind, body, and soul if you want good results.

Just like eating junk food ALL the time will sap your energy, consuming nothing but TMZ and TikTok probably won’t help you become a better, more fulfilled, enlightened, and empowered person. And in your personal life, if you’re addicted to the dishy drama, but rarely talk with other people about intellectual or creative ideas, your output into the world is probably not solving any big problems.

What will you do TODAY to change your trajectory?

Feeling “unmotivated” today? Ask yourself:

What AM I motivated to do?
Perhaps your body is asking for rest, your soul for connection or creativity, your mind for peace. You are probably motivated to do something that you need right now. Learn to recognize and give yourself what you really need in order to get back on track faster.
What am I feeling right now?
If you are emotionally disregulated, motivation might be elusive. Switch your mood by listening to a favorite upbeat song and dancing around your house for an instant mood boost. Or you could sing, play with your dog, call a friend who always makes you laugh, get outside for a walk, or anything (away from a screen!) that encourages you to be in the moment.
What ONE tiny step can I take towards my goal RIGHT NOW?
If you want to get started on something, and are resisting doing so, ask yourself this question. Oftentimes, we don’t take action because we are overly focused on the outcome, which may be overwhelming in scope, OR we have determined that action is impossible, when we really just need to take ownership of the process. Taking one little baby step might just get you out of inertia and back in the flow.
Am I nourishing my motivation…or starving it?
If the people you’re hanging out with or the content you’re consuming is making you feel sluggish and slow, instead of inspired, consider changing it up. There’s nothing wrong with indulging in spiritual junk food occasionally (bingeing on TikTok, Love is Blind, Amish romance novels, Grand Theft Auto, etc), but if the results you’re getting are underwhelming, maybe try reading something educational or inspirational instead of ingesting the mental equivalent of a Twinkie. Start hanging out with the friends in your life who are working on improving their lives or find new friends who reflect the life you want to be living.

Have you tried any of these tactics? Which ones have worked for you?

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Need more motivation in YOUR life?

Want to be surrounded by supportive, like-minded individuals working toward their own goals?

The Audacious Accountability Crash Course for Spring 2025 will go live soon!

The course starts April 7th and goes through June. Additional details will be released soon, but the whole program is being overhauled, with lots of new great stuff being added, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, if you’re curious how I can help you achieve your goals, click here to set up your free 20-minute consult!

Manufacturing Motivation: 4 Tactics for Getting Your Momentum Back