Staying committed to a yoga practice or working out has maybe never been more challenging than during the Covid pandemic. Shuttered studios and gyms with equipment collecting dust, meant making do at home with online classes and makeshift equipment. Motivation is like a much anticipated gift; you’re extremely excited, the shiny paper and big bow builds the excitement, you open it up and revel in the glory…then you put it on shelf and think “I’m going to bring that back down one day”.
Motivation involves the biological, emotional, social, and cognitive forces that activate behaviour. Extrinsic motivations are those that arise from outside of the individual and often involve rewards such as trophies, money, social recognition, or praise. Intrinsic motivations are those that arise from within the individual, such as doing a complicated crossword puzzle purely for the personal gratification of solving a problem.
Understanding motivation can; help improve the efficiency of people as they work toward goals, help people take action, encourage people to engage in health-oriented behaviours, help people avoid unhealthy or maladaptive behaviours such as risk-taking and addiction, help people feel more in control of their lives, and, improve overall well-being and happiness.
Anyone who has ever had a goal (like wanting to lose 20 pounds or run a marathon) probably immediately realized that simply having the desire to accomplish something is not enough. Achieving such a goal requires the ability to persist through obstacles and endurance… to keep going in spite of difficulties.
At some point, the pain of not doing something becomes greater than the pain of doing it. The simplest definition of motivation boils down to wanting. We want a change in behaviour, thoughts, feelings, self-concept, environment, and relationships.
The degree of activation, persistence and intensity can impact whether or not you achieve your goal. Strong activation, for example, means that you are more likely to start pursuing a goal. Persistence and intensity will determine if you keep working toward that goal and how much effort you devote to reaching it.
Getting started, even in very small ways, is a form of active inspiration that naturally produces momentum.
All people experience fluctuations in their motivation and willpower. Sometimes you might feel fired up and highly driven to reach your goals, while at other times you might feel listless or unsure of what you want or how to achieve it.
When your motivation is lagging you could: adjust your goals to focus on things that really matter to you; if you’re tackling something that is just too big or too overwhelming, break it up into smaller steps and try setting your sights on achieving that first step toward progress; remind yourself about what you achieved in the past and where your strengths lie; if there are things you feel insecure about, try working on making improvements in those areas so that you feel more skilled and capable.
There are a few things you should watch for that might hurt your motivation: 1. Quick fixes or all-or-nothing thinking. It’s easy to feel unmotivated if you can’t fix something immediately or if you can’t have it all at once. Remind yourself that reaching your goals takes time. 2. Thinking that one size fits all. Just because an approach or method worked for someone else does not mean that it will work for you. If something isn’t helping you reach your goals or is making you feel unmotivated, look for things that will work better for you.
If your workout doesn’t have a time when it usually occurs, then each day you’ll wake up thinking, “I hope I feel motivated to exercise today.” Setting a schedule for yourself seems simple, but it puts your decision-making on autopilot by giving your goals a time and a place to live. It makes it more likely that you will follow through regardless of your motivation levels. Stop waiting for motivation or inspiration to strike you and set a schedule for your habits.
How do some of the most prolific artists in the world motivate themselves? They don’t merely set schedules, they build rituals. It provides a mindless way to initiate behaviour. It makes starting habits easier and that means following through on a consistent basis easier.
The key to any good ritual is that it removes the need to make a decision: What should I do first? When should I do this? How should I do this? Most people never get moving because they can’t decide how to get started. You want starting a behaviour to be easy and automatic so you have the strength to finish it when it becomes difficult and challenging.
Know exactly what to do next. There’s no debating or decision-making. Lack of motivation doesn’t matter. You just follow the pattern.
The three Rs of habit formation are; reminder, routine and, reward.
You will never regret good work once it is done. There are days when it’s damn hard to start, but it’s always worth finishing. Sometimes, the simple act of showing up and having the courage to do the work, even in an average manner, is a victory worth celebrating.
Discomfort is temporary. Your workout will be finished in an hour or two. Maintain perspective. Your life is good and your discomfort is temporary. Step into this moment of discomfort and let it strengthen you.
Sometimes you might feel completely unmotivated—and that’s ok. In that situation, allow yourself to feel the discomfort, hear the negative self-talk, and then take action anyway.
Talk to your doctor if you are feeling symptoms of apathy and low mood that last longer than two weeks. Sometimes a persistent lack of motivation might be tied to a mental health condition such as depression.
I’d love to help you with your goals. Do you need an accountability partner? Do you need a yoga or workout regime? My online studio includes dozens of different yoga and fitness classes and I also have yoga courses for the beginner or new mom. Head to www.michelleyoga.net today and sign up.