Motivation Doesn’t Exist

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To be honest, I do not want to write this post. At least, not right now. I just don’t feel like writing anything at all.

In other words, I do not feel motivated to punch those damn keys.

But I have to.

Not in the sense that there’s someone holding a gun to my head. No.

I have to because I promised myself that I am going to do it. I have to because I made a commitment to write a new blog post every single day.

And, yes, right now, I don’t feel like it.

Before writing these words, I spend a few hours going through draft after draft, trying to figure out which post to finish writing. I didn’t feel like it. I’ve lost focus at least a dozen times, which translates into me wasting 10-15 minutes of my time going through e-mails or replying to comments.

But the truth is that motivation does not work like that. The truth is motivation’s just this word people keep throwing around when they don’t want to do something.

Why do you want to do it?

This is the first question I ask myself whenever I don’t feel like doing something, but I know I have to.

Why do I want to write this post?

Because I promised myself that I won’t give up. It’s as simple as that. I promised myself to write a new blog post every day, and that’s what I am going to do.

I also know, on a logical level, that I am taking care of the discipline muscle in my head: the more you do what you do not want to do, the easier it is for you to do it.

I also know that my income depends on me producing new content.

That’s why, whenever I don’t feel motivated, I remind myself of my why.

The I do this simple thing…

I commit to getting the job done.

Now, as I said earlier, commitment is just you promising yourself that you will never, ever, give up. under any circumstance. No matter what. Come hell and high water.

That’s why I forced myself to write this post. Because I made a promise to myself to write it.

Of course, the paradox is the fact that now, after having forced myself to write, I am begin to feel motivated. Even inspired.

I am enjoying the process.

I am more aware of what exactly it is that I am doing, and why it’s important to do it.

The truth is that there’s no such thing as motivation, or inspiration, or discipline, or willpower.

It all comes down to this: you either do it, or you don’t.

Whether you feel like it or not.

Whether you’d much rather do anything else or not.

It doesn’t matter.

I can’t tell the difference between what came easy (when I wrote under the influence of the muse, so to speak) and what was the product of me having to sit down at my computer and bleed for a few good hours.

All that matters is that you take action.

So stop waiting around for inspiration, or to feel motivated, and just do it.

43 thoughts on “Motivation Doesn’t Exist”

  2. Yup, no runner’s high until mile 22 or so, and the couch doesn’t have miles, only time. I find quote-unquote inspiration comes from the energy of working, focusing, unfocusing, simply come from the process. It’s like, “Hey, when in Rome.” I don’t see much of anyone having inspiration from doing nothing about it. “Hey, inspiration when in process.” Inspiration’s also a bit-over-rated, simply an exquisite part of the process. It of course MAY arrive in in-between times as well as the aHA you amplify with as you plug back into the work. Though, I find that to be spontaneous arising FROM the momentum of the work in process, not spontaneous from sitting around smoking hope so to speak.

    I don’t find it as an addiction, or even discipline. I have a process. For me, allergic to boredom, I set limits so I am OFF of it and don’t play with depletion from misspent efforts of working too long. And, of course everything in moderation, including moderation — sometimes going for long long periods immersed in the work. I call it the BITCh Method. But In The Chair. Same bat time, same bat channel, and you train yourself, you firm up your creativity and imagination to not always be that messy vagueness of epiphany. And, don’t get me wrong. I LOVE epiphanies, and the oftentimes consequent mess they inject into the process. Good problem to have.

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      • You’re welcome, Cristian. I appreciate your accolade! Thanks for mentioning it as a post in itself. I’ll pull my comment into revisiting a BITCh Method post I wrote years back. It’ll be excellent to see the mods of my process perspective now versus then when I re-immerse in the process guts. It feels like I may have expressed some things above I’ve naturally evolved to do beyond training in my“B In The Chair.”

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  3. I can tell the difference between what I wrote “under the muse” and what I wrote out of self-obligation, but I agree with and recognize the importance of “getting it done” regardless of how inspired I feel.

    Liked by 3 people

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  6. I think when it comes to motivation, you have to be 110 percent in to achieve your goal. Self-motivation can be both the easiest and the hardest thing to do when it comes to writing. If you are a successful work from home person, you’ll know exactly what it takes to stay focused and motivated :) Thanks for the great post!

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  9. Motivation for me, comes in the form of Inspiration. Its process encouraged by routine and discipline. Yet the dominant factor is emotion and state of mind. It’s kill switch is laziness and procrastination. At times like these, when your motivational engine needs a boost — I find exercise, even a simple walk outdoors to be just what the doctor ordered to set you right again and re-energize your lagging mental appetite.

    I find, that Exercise, really can be — fuel for thought!

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  10. Thank you for this post Christian, it encourages me to reflect. Exercise is excellent for energy boosting and clearing the mind. Meditation , interesting authors and speakers can fuel my inspiration.

    What makes me get on with whatever I set myself to do in the end is my state of mind. No pushing or shoving will work….
    When my spirit is high nothing is an effort. So for me the key is to find ways to raise my spirit.

    Liked by 3 people

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  11. Jocko is great! I listen to Joe Rogan a lot, and he’s recently interviewed Dan Crenshaw, who is now a U.S. Congressman, and Jack Carr who is writing suspense thrillers. Both of them were fantastic. You might be particularly interested in Carr. He talks about how writing is just another business, and the discipline involved in it.

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  12. I don’t feel like spending “10-15 minutes of [your] time going through e-mails or replying to comments” is “wasting” your time at all. I was one of those happy recipients of your replies … and when I get a reply from you (knowing how many hundreds of responses you get every day), I feel quite privileged… and your reply motivates me. So you see, writing comes in many forms… and responses are a very important part of what you teach all of us to do. Thank you for that! That said, I “get it!” I understand the promise to yourself “to write a new blog post every day,” and the determination to say to yourself, “… that’s what I am going to do.” I have made the same promise. And yes, “It all comes down to this: you either do it, or you don’t.” It’s the Nike motto: Just Do It!

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  14. It’s the same with exercise, you owe it to yourself to do it and feel so much better when you do. The most rewarding and important time is when you’re not in the mood that’s when it shows character:)

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  15. A wise friend once said to me: “Motivation only keeps you going for so long. Discipline is what takes over after that.”

    I think discipline is one of the most valuable tools you can cultivate within yourself. Great post, thanks for sharing!

    Liked by 4 people

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  16. I believe the hardest part is starting it.
    like my yoga teacher always says “the hardest part is coming to class”
    because once you start it or arrive in class you already made the first step.
    The first step is always the hardest.

    Liked by 4 people

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  17. I hear you Cristian, its not at all easy to keep the flow,you’re right though – it call comes down to the why. And maybe the whole concept of inspiration or motivation doesn’t matter. End of the day, question is about the action taken and whether that benefits us or not.

    Liked by 3 people

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  19. I think we should be able to motivate ourselves for what we feel like doing and that makes us happy and not for the reason that i had decided to do something. Keep doing what you love in this moment and that will keep you motivated and even if it is to sleep that will make you happy at this moment.

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  24. I agree with every singe word stated. I am myself a strong believer of not waiting for motivation in order to complete an activity. I could relate with everything spoken. Absolutely loved it 🙌

    Liked by 1 person

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