Motivation doesn't come from feelings
Motivating little humans is hard because rarely (edit- never) do they FEEL like doing something.
I have this realization during day 3 of morning running with my kiddos.
Hell I rarely feel like doing things either! I just know after I do it I feel better and that is why I do it.
“a: to perform or carry through a task requiring sustained effort or continuous repeated operations
b: to exert oneself physically or mentally especially in sustained effort for a purpose or under compulsion or necessity”
If I want to be stronger, I have to do the work.
If I wanna be faster, I have to do the work
If I wanna be healthier, I have to do the work
If you want any “THING” you have to do some THING to get it. It wont just be given (unlike love).
Truth is, you can not get anywhere if you don’t go anywhere or do something.
Do you really like where you are?
Does that feel good to you?
Do you not have regrets or do you not wish for something more?
The answer my friend is in the work, the action.
Some people say I’m really driven and I don’t think that is what it is. More that I am dedicated to what drives me; feeling better. What drives me is feeling accomplishment, feeling the reward when the work is done. That is what drives me. I know what it feels like and I love how it feels, so I do it.
Back to motivation;
Mel Robbins talks about having activation energy, that you have to 5-4-3-2-1 do it! You can embrace that to motivate yourself. If you had the idea, if you had the thought that is your spirit talking to you and telling you what it wants;
Telling you how it wants to feel alive
Telling you how to live your truth
Telling you how to be connected to yourself
You could be there listening and 5-4-3-2-1 do it OR you can wait until you feel like it. I don’t know, but I’m at the point in my life that I can not wait for the bus. I need to make my own route. Cuz I’m not sure that bus is ever going to arrive. Bus driver must be taking a detour or something but I sure a heck never FEEL like doing hard things most days.
What makes it even harder, adding kids into the equation. One of the hardest things we need to embrace as parents, and something I continuously remind myself of is, pushing them through this discomfort. #thatswhatisignedupfor The resistance of doing the thing they don’t feel like it….but we made a commitment and yesterday we agreed that we would run in the morning. So when the morning came and I said let’s go! It’s happening (I am someone that never go back on my word). So I modified the route to be not as long. I negotiated with them so we were not running as far. I set a small attainable goal for them to reach so they could see the finish line and have the accomplishment, have that feeling of overcoming the discomfort to feel better….
Her face
How many times have you felt that way too? before or during a workout?
What about after?
* no children were harmed in the making of this content.
It’s hard to see, yes. But what about feeling the reward? When she learns she can concur this feat for herself. When she feels alive afterwards (which happens every-time). When she learns the life lessons and the mindset that #thisisonlytemporary #icandohardthings #Icanconcur #practicemakesprogress #iamstrong. When she overcomes anything else that was hard at first. #buildingconfidence. When tomorrow she asks me to run because SHE wants to 🙌 .
I am enduring and pushing today for those wins tomorrow. And also, I am here to hold her had today, but one day soon I won’t be. She will be on her own, in her own big world.
Listen Parents, we don’t WANT to put our kids though discomfort ... but that truly is a disservice to them. If we protect them and nurture them from every-little-challenge, they will never learn to stand on their own two feet. And that’s not what this parenting thing is all about.