159. The Truth About Motivation (and Why it Feels Mysterious)

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I wish I was motivated the way SHE is.” As if motivation were some magical thing that gets doled out from the divine and you were somehow skipped? That is not real. It’s not true. Motivation is a choice. Let’s talk about why some people aren’t more motivated. We live in a society of reaction – we are massive consumers. We’re sitting back and waiting for the world to give us new circumstances, news, ideas and that new show to watch. It’s easy to sit and scroll. Living a life of reaction isn’t living a life of choice. It’s not living a life of ambition. Obviously, there are day-to-day things that must be taken care of, but what happens when we start to choose? I know it sounds super simple, but do you have a reason to act? Motivation is motive. Why are you writing that book? Why are you on that diet? Why did you start that podcast? Why did you choose to go out to dinner with those people you don’t like? If you don’t know, you’re in reaction mode. So the first step is choosing your reason for acting right now, and the big picture why.  Now that you understand the why, you need that spark to push you into action. The spark comes from two things: ambition and expectation.  I know some people think ambition is a bad word – I want to bust that up. Ambition simply means you have the ability to dream of an alternate future. You have the ability to dream that something might be able to change. This is a uniquely human ability.  Ambition causes a gap between what is and what you see is possible. But ambition without expectation is really demoralizing. If you’ve got your reason and you’re starting your new project, you can see the future, but you might not have an expectancy. The truth is, it’s going to get really challenging and really hard, really fast. So how can you “see” expectations? One of the easiest ways is to look for people who have already succeeded. You’ve heard me say this before, but no one is special. You can do it. Another way is to have faith in yourself. You can believe that you will learn what you need to learn, take the next step and have the courage to keep going.  Now that you’ve recognized the expectation, you need to sustain your ambition. You’re excited, and you’ve created a gap. The gap is the space between your ambition and your results. This is where the magic lies, beautiful people! You have to condition yourself to keep going before you see the results. This is where most people drop off.  To sustain your motivation, you need to have attention and effort. Your attention should be focused. Do you have a plan? Whereas the effort comes from showing up when it gets tough. If you want something extraordinary, it’s going to take effort. You’re going to have to do something you’ve never done. It means facing discomfort. It means consistency. It means dedication. The sustained attention and effort are where you expand yourself to become the person who gets things done. You’re in it for the long haul. You’re sustaining; you’re getting things done. Now we want to amplify with your attitude and environment. Business success is 80% mindset and 20% strategy right. This is the same thing. Attitude is your 80%. Attitude is everything. So if you are looking to really fight for your ambition this year, look at some really great quotes. Pull out some wonderful things that inspire you and keep those around you. Keep your inspiration present. Your environment needs similar treatment. Work on your environment. Make it conducive to matching your reason, matching your spark, and helping you sustain. That includes your people. I want you to notice what you do have control over. If you are looking to amplify your motivation, you must understand what sources and what forces are pulling you in a direction you do not want to go because in order to be motivated human, you must take responsibility for your environment, you must take responsibility for your choices and you must take responsibility for your own success. I hope this got you motivated and understanding that motivation is your choice. You can choose to have reasons that inspire you to do more, to try more, to dream bigger, and to study more so that you can see that this is all possible. Let’s get to it! Other Game On Girlfriend podcast episodes you might want to check out:  Permission to Succeed is NOT required! : https://sarahwalton.com/permission-to-succeed/  Lost Your Motivation? This Beautiful Supermom Shares the Best Motivation Secrets: https://sarahwalton.com/lori/  Totally unmotivated? You’re not alone. This will help.: https://sarahwalton.com/unmotivated/  Stop Studying, Stop Imagining, You’re Ready: https://sarahwalton.com/youre-ready/  You can check out our podcast interviews on YouTube, too! http://bit.ly/YouTubeSWalton   Thank you so much for listening. I’m honored that you’re here and would be so grateful if you could leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, and clicking “Write a review.” Then we’ll get to inspire even more people! (If you’re not sure how to leave a review, you can watch this quick tutorial.)