Waiting for Motivation Gets You Nowhere

It's time to think about motivation differently.

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Before I began my career in fitness, I was an actor living in New York City. I graduated with a degree in Acting and did the hustle for a while before finding fitness and pursuing it full time. The skills for acting and teaching/coaching go hand in hand — many of the skills I trained in school I still use today. Even though I’m not that world anymore, I still view movies and shows as an actor.

Have you ever seen a show or movie about a struggling actor and at some point they inevitably say “but what is my MOTIVATION?” When creating a character, establishing motivation is important — it the reason why someone is doing something. But THE DOING SOMETHING is more important. The scene can’t happen if nothing happens. You can have all the motivation in the world, but if the character doesn’t do anything to make their motivation come to life — you don’t have a show.

Fitness is exactly the same.

I’ve had many people over the years say to me: “I know I should be moving my body/exercising, but I can’t get motivated.”

Motivation is defined as “the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.” Most people have the motivation — they have a general desire to get to the gym/workout/lose weight, etc. They want something to change. And that is great. But nothing changes if nothing happens.

Stop waiting on your motivation to arrive like some descending angel guiding you forward. You have it. You need to take action.

You are getting in your way by waiting for MORE motivation. You are not going to wake up on a random Thursday saying: “Today is THE DAY. I’m going to make a matcha/spinach/protein smoothie every day, hit the gym, have amazing workouts, sleep well. I’m finally ready to start!”

The truth is life gets busy: holidays, parties, trips, crazy work schedules. We will never feel full prepared to get started — your motivation will be pushed aside because it’s not a convenient time to start. And it never will be. There’s always something happening down the road. There’s never a perfect time or the feeling of being completely motivated. It’s time to think about motivation differently:

THE OLD WAY

MOTIVATION » ACTION » RESULTS

The thought behind it: Once I’m motivated, I will start doing [insert exercise program] and finally achieve [insert goal].

THE NEW WAY

ACTION » RESULTS » MOTIVATION

The thought behind it: I will execute manageable, specific actions in alignment with my goal and work my way towards what I want on my own terms.

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Nothing happens unless you start doing something.

Even if that something is really small.

Something is better than nothing ;)

Those small actions start to add up over time and you begin to see results: you realize you have more energy, you’re fitting into your clothes differently, your lifts get stronger.

The feeling of seeing results is what motivates you to keep going. Because you know it’s working. So you keep at it. It becomes a self-sustaining cycle.

THE EASIEST WAYS TO GET STARTED:

1. Drink 3 bottles of water a day. I’ve made this a personal goal in my 12-week program because hydration is a challenge for me. It’s the lowest of the low-hanging fruit. So many benefits and so easy to do.

2. Take a walk for 15 minutes a day. Call someone, walk to the store, take a work meeting, bring a colleague out for coffee. Every little action adds up.

3. Eat a salad every day. Load a bowl full of veggies (raw, cooked, steamed — doesn’t matter). Don’t overcomplicate it. Put dressing on it if you want. Just eat more vegetables.

4. Get more sleep. Put your phone down.

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If you’re reading this, you have motivation — you have a general desire to change something — otherwise, why would you be here? You have the motivation covered.

Focus on your actions. They don’t have to be perfect. And you don’t have to know all the answers. It’s okay to start small and start slow.

You just have to start.

Execute your actions. See your results. Get motivated to keep going.

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