Motivation gets all sorts of a bad rep. Our poor understanding of motivation isn’t just a cultural accident, it was cultivated by people like Henry Ford, who had the most to gain from making people feel guilty for not being industrious enough. (This isn’t a bash Henry Ford post, just that understanding how we got this definition of motivation will help us develop strategies for combatting the problematic approach to ‘feeling motivated’.)

Let’s reframe and reclaim motivation, shall we?

Old Thought:

“I have to feel motivated to get started”

Reframe:

“I can start whenever I want. Who said motivation gets to run my life?”
Motivation is such a misunderstood set of biorhythms. For the longest time, we were taught that motivation was a sign of accomplishment – or even vice versa. But now? Brain science tells us that motivation comes from a delicate balance of chemicals, more like a fuel tank than a muscle. When your fuel tank is empty, do you get mad and say that it’s lazy? No. You understand that your car needs fuel to run.

Reclaim:

You need certain things to ‘run’, just like your car. Give yourself permission to use your time the way your heart and mind would choose. Your time is yours and you deserve to use it how it would benefit you best and most.
Take into account your physical needs, mental illness, and current circumstances. What is your priority? How can you honor those priorities?

Reclaiming Mantra:

“I can create motivation through action. I choose the best time to take that action.”