Motivation is a lie: Let’s talk about what works

The Motivation Myth

One of the biggest roadblocks for us humans is the concept of motivation. It is a feeling where you trick yourself that you need “motivation” to start your project or to go to the gym. Remember that feeling after you’ve watched a video or got inspired by a motivational speaker and you get that sense of “I’m ready to conquer the world,” but a few days or even hours later this excitement fades, the tasks feel heavy, and you are left wondering where the initial spark went.

Does this sound familiar? This is because the way we often think about motivation is a lie.

Why Motivation Doesn’t Serve Us

We tend to treat motivation like it is a precondition for action. “I’ll start when I feel motivated.” But here’s the kicker: motivation is an emotion, and like all emotions, it is unreliable. Once we get motivated, the feeling stays with us briefly; it comes and goes, often without rhyme or reason. If you only took action when you felt motivated, how long would you actually work towards your goal?

Just think about it: Would you only go to the gym when you felt pumped? Would you only tackle that challenging report when you felt bursts of inspiration? Would you consistently work on your big goals only when the stars aligned, and you felt incredibly driven?

Probably not that much. This is why relying solely on motivation sets you up for disappointment and inaction. You are waiting for a feeling to show up before committing to taking action.

The truth? It’s all about Discipline

Now you might be asking yourself, if motivation is a lie, what’s the secret? It is Discipline.

Don’t let that word scare you. Discipline is not about acting as a soldier. It is about making a commitment to yourself, showing up, even on those days you would rather stay in bed longer or when your mind is pulling you to easy fixes such as social media scrolling or watching TV. Discipline is about understanding that taking deliberate action, day in and day out, this is what actually moves the needle.

Imagine an athlete. Do you really think they always are “motivated” to push through hard, gruelling training sessions? No! But they show up. They have a routine, a plan, and a deep understanding that consistency, not fleeting feelings, is what leads to mastery.

The benefits of having a Coach

A coach’s focus is not to help you find motivation. It is on helping you build discipline through practical, sustainable strategies.

Focusing on small, consistent actions: Instead of waiting for big bursts of motivation to start a huge task, let’s break down your goals into small manageable steps. Making a commitment of just 15 minutes a day for a project. Small, steady achievements create momentum and help us win the race.

Establishing clear Routines and Habits: Together we work on creating new routines that make your desired actions automatic. Once we establish a habit, it requires less willpower and less “motivation.” Think of a habit as brushing your teeth – you don’t need to feel motivated to do it, it’s just what you do.

Prioritize Action over Emotion: We’ll start by practicing simply starting a project. The incredible thing is that often, once you begin, motivation shows up as a result of your action, it’s not preconditioned. You start, you gain some momentum, and suddenly, you feel a surge of energy to keep going.

Embracing the “Show up” Mentality: The challenge here is to cultivate a “just show up” attitude. Even if you feel that you put in half the effort on a given day, showing up and doing is 100% better than doing nothing because you were not “motivated.”

Let’s stop waiting for motivation to strike. Instead, let us focus on building the consistent habits and discipline that will actually propel you forward. This is not about being perfect: it is about being persistent and disciplined.