When You Lose Motivation Find Inspiration

Ever make a New Year’s resolution? Many people make working out their New Year’s resolution. If you want to know if their resolution is driven by motivation or inspiration, just wait about three months. Statistic shows 98% of those who choose fitness as their new year’s resolution typically begin to lose motivation and taper off or stop going to the gym within the first three months.

Why do we lose motivation soon after we begin something we are excited or energized by? Often, it’s because we do not have the tools to keep going. Once the feeling fades, or those stimulating words can no longer be heard, or the sensation can no longer be felt, we lose that motivation. To continue the journey of reaching your goal(s) we must find inspiration.

BY REGINA LEWIS, PH.D.

So, what’s the difference? Motivation is an abstract idea, making it difficult to connect the dots from beginning to end. I explained to my son that motivation takes movement, however our movements are merely based on the moment. Moving quickly, we go from idea to start. That is, we may decide what our goals are and even get to the point of execution, however we do not operate with a plan in place. The problem comes when we run into barriers: not enough time, financial struggles, too tired, no support, or the task is more difficult than we anticipated. When this happens, we revert to what we know. Often time, what we know takes us away from the goal in which we set leading us to an incomplete attempt.

Inspiration on the other hand is what I consider a concrete process. In other words, this is a road map from the beginning to the actual goal. When we are inspired, we plan and prepare for barriers that may stifle our idea or the sensation. Instead of going from idea to start as we often do when we are motivated, there is information, application, Identification, and planning that go in between the two.

These steps begin as a linear process:

Idea > Information > Application > Identify > Plan > Start

An idea is a confirmation that a situation, or sensation applies to our lives. These two stimuli are what motivate us. However, before moving forward, we must gather information about what, when, how, and what ifs. To answer these questions, spend time researching. Ask others who have experienced your idea; find literature that speaks to the pros, cons, and steps necessary to reach your goal. Once you have gained enough knowledge to feel well informed, begin the application process. How does the information apply to you? How will this process affect your life? Next, begin to identify possible barriers that may take you off course or even cause you to lose sight of your goal(s). Finally, plan alternative action steps for those barriers. Once you have the initial steps identified, the process becomes cross-circular; meaning each step may need to be revisited at any point and in no particular order.