It's Not About Motivation

I often have the same basic conversation with a wide range of students.  They are struggling because they "aren't motivated" to do whatever it is they are needing to do.  It could be anything - getting out of bed to come to school, going to practice, doing homework, studying, or taking care of chores at home.

But here is the thing... it IS NOT about motivation.  You won't always feel motivated.  Sometimes you will never feel motivated. It IS about discipline.  It is about doing the thing directly in front of you that needs to be done so that ultimately you can have the outcome you want in the long run.

We recently celebrated Veterans Day, and I think we can learn something about motivation and discipline from the experiences of our military. Many men in my family have gone through boot camp to become US Marines. We all know boot camp is incredibly difficult, full of both mental and physical challenges. They were definitely NOT always motivated for the tasks in front of them, but they definitely wanted to achieve their long term goal of becoming US Marines.  In those difficult times it becomes important to focus on the moments directly in front of you and doing what must be done.  They had a concept of waking up and making it from there to breakfast.  Once they made it to breakfast, they turned their focus on making it to lunch.  At lunchtime, they shifted their attention to making it to dinner.  And at dinner they aimed to make it to bedtime.  That process was repeated day in and day out.  It was the discipline to take care of each day one day at a time.  Granted, in the effort of becoming a Marine they had drill instructors helping to push them, but, let's be honest - you have people trying to help push you too.  They may be your parents, teachers, coaches, boss, friends, or even me, but ultimately it still comes down to you doing what you need to do - motivation or not.

So... quit searching for motivation and just start practicing the acts of discipline to do this one thing right now, and then repeat with the next thing that is required, and keep repeating that practice over and over until you achieve your goals.  If you only work on days when you feel good, you won't get a lot accomplished.  Please just take it one step at a time - you can and will get there!