How to Find Motivation to Complete Any Task
If you aren’t making progress towards your goals, you’re probably facing one of these two problems:
You don’t know what to do
You know what to do, but you aren’t doing it
If you don’t know what steps to take to grow, I encourage you to read my new book, “Seven Steps to Dominate Your Day and Crush Your Goals.” In this book I unpack the seven daily habits that helped me transform myself and accomplish goals I never thought were possible.
If you know what you need to do but aren’t yet doing it, you might feel like you lack motivation. Many people will say, “I’m just not very motivated.” This is never actually true. Each person has the same level of intrinsic motivation. If you have the capability to perform voluntary actions, you have the same level of motivation as anyone who has ever lived.
The problem isn’t a lack of motivation. The problem is the direction of your motivation. Most of the difficult decisions that we make are challenging because of conflicting motivations:
“I want to be in better shape, but I also want to eat this cheeseburger and fries”
“I want to learn, but I also want to watch this TV show on Netflix”
“I want to get up early, but I also want to sleep in and wake up on my own schedule”
“I want to engage with my family, but I’m tired from the day and I want to rest”
“I want to be more disciplined, but I also value comfort”
The good news is that you don’t have to be a victim to the current reality of your motivation. You can shift your motivation in the right direction by following a few simple steps:
Identify your motivation - If you are struggling to make a decision or determine an action to take, identify each of the competing motivations in play. Think about why you want to take a particular action and what sort of reward you’re hoping to gain (or pain you’re hoping to avoid).
Challenge your motivation - The best way to do this is to compare your motivations with your values. We often sacrifice what we want most for what we want now. Our brains are hardwired to prioritize instant gratification, so pursuing long-term happiness or success often requires taking our innate motivations captive.
Redefine your motivation - Decide ahead of time what will motivate you rather than leaving it up to chance in the moment. Put safeguards in place that will keep you on track towards making the right choices.
You’ll hear a lot more from me about motivation in the current months. In the meantime, I hope you’ll spend time over the next week thinking about your strongest motivations and how they impact your current position (and future direction).
PS: Want a thought partner to help you unpack your deep-seated motivations? Schedule your free 30-minute coaching session with me today.
