mo·ti·va·tion (noun) the general desire or willingness of someone to do something

Motivation is a funny thing. Everyone wants it yet no one has it. Seriously.

I hear people say all the time “but I don’t feel like it”. YAWN.

Dude, I geeeetttt it! I do many things consistently, most of them daily, that I hardly ever have the motivation to do. If I only did what I was “motivated” to do, I would never accomplish anything. None of us would. I am confident that my laundry would never be done, the sink would be full of dishes, my home wouldn’t be clean, I wouldn’t be writing this, I wouldn’t have a successful career, I wouldn’t workout, I wouldn’t eat healthy — especially those last two! Many of the things I do are because they are ingrained habits that I don’t have to think about doing; they are just things I just do — like muscle memory. Was it hard to get there? Did I have to make short-term sacrifices? Were there days I wanted to throw in the towel? Did I have to be uncomfortable for a while? ABSOLUTELY!

You have to decide what hard you’re willing to accept. EVERYTHING is hard!

• It’s hard following an eating plan and working out consistently, but it’s also hard being overweight.
• It’s hard making sacrifices to eliminate debt and become financially free, but it’s also hard living paycheck and paycheck and live with mounds of debt.
• It’s hard going through the process of changing jobs, but it’s also hard to stay in a career your hate.
• It’s hard standing up for yourself and setting boundaries, but it’s also hard being a doormat.

Decide what you want, go for it, and don’t look back. Be committed to taking the small daily steps that will get you there, even on the hard days. ESPECIALLY ON THE HARD DAYS! I guarantee you are going to experience setbacks, adversity, and extremely challenging days. You’ll have legit excuses — you’re tired, in a bad mood, didn’t sleep well, your boss is a jerk, you won’t have time, your kids get sick, etc. SHOW UP ON THESE DAYS ANYWAY! Don’t quit when it gets tough — those days are the MOST important days! The bottom line is that something is either important to you or it’s not. It’s okay to let other people down, but you better not let yourself down.

RESOURCES THAT HAVE HELPED ME:

The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins

Empower Her podcast hosted by Kacia Ghetmiri