Motivation vs. Commitment

I hear from a lot of my clients that they just need motivation, or that they are waiting to be motivated to do that “thing.”

So here is my theory on motivation. A lot of us wait for that inspirational moment or that motivational thrust that launches us into action. I would say that may work some of the time. But it is a gamble. When is it coming? Is it coming? And if it comes, motivation can wane. It could be there in the beginning when we are all geared up and excited and then fizzle shortly after.

There is another way to approach this notion of motivation. Make a commitment, DO IT and the Motivation will come!

I heard this great definition of commitment the other day from a motivational speaker Randy Taylor. He says, “the definition of commitment is the continuation of an activity in the apparent absence of results.”

I love that – so the willingness to stick with doing an activity knowing that you will not see immediate results! Or as Jim Rohn said, “success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day.”

So, when I was training for my various marathons, I had to set up my training schedule. I was supposed to run 5 days a week and since I am a morning person, I knew it was better to plan my runs for the morning. So, I would get up at about 5 am, have my coffee ready, my running gear out, and ready so all I had to do was get up, brush my teeth, jump into my gear, have my cup of coffee and head out. I had to make it almost mechanical, robotic, and as effortless as I could.

Now let me tell you, there was not one shred of motivation that I had at 5 am, heading out to run anywhere from 4 – 8 miles in the dark, freezing New England winter morning. NOTHING!!

What I did do was that I made the commitment to run this race, this marathon that I knew if I did not prepare myself, I would never finish. So, I committed and just did it … and as I was doing it …. Voila! The motivation came. It was a wild experience because as I was out there running, and sometimes it took a few miles but most of the time, the inspiration, the fire, and the motivation would hit me. If I waited for it … my tuchass would never have gotten out the door.

So, commitment over motivation is key! Taking action will create and ignite your motivation. Do not wait until you are motivated to create change! Action will create your motivation!