Why the heck doesn’t motivation last forever? Shouldn’t motivation start when you decide to lose weight or get healthier, and last until you accomplish your goal? Why yes, of course that would be great, but we don’t live in a perfect world. O yeah, and we are human beings and our motivation naturally fluctuates. 

I Hate Mornings

This October I entered a challenge with one of the brothers in the HeRose Mastermind. The challenge was to wake up every morning for the entire month of October. Let me tell you what I have learned so far about motivation in this challenge.

1. Motivation is high at the start: I always start out great, when motivation is high. The first 8 days or so I was making it happen. Waking up at 5 no matter what time I went to bed.
2. Motivation will disappear: On the 9th day I remember not feeling like I want to do this challenge anymore. I was tired, I lost focus and I was tired. 
3. Move without motivation: I have since missed a couple of days of waking up at 5 am. Normally I would throw in the towel and just give up. I recognized though, victory depends on what I do when motivation is low or gone.

What to Do When Motivation is Low

“Maintaining motivation is a skill, and you can get good at that skill,” explains Liz Josefsberg, who is the author of Target 100 and has been a weight loss coach to thousands of people, including Jennifer Hudson and Charles Barkley. Mastering the skill of motivation doesn’t mean forcing yourself to do things you don’t want to do. Sometimes, it’s finding enjoyable things that you do want to do. 

1. Accept: Recognize and state that your motivation is low and be ok with that. Remember it is natural as humans to have our motivation fluctuate. Too many men beat themselves up at this point and that leads to sabotaging progress.
2. Adjust: Many of us forget that the results we want for our health won’t just happen overnight. With that not so quick journey can come boredom. Let me tell you waking up at 5 am on day 8 was definitely getting boring. Don’t be afraid to adjust or add to your plan to make it more exciting as you work on your health.
3. Ask: Don’t be too prideful to ask for help or others insights or opinions. When you are at a low for motivation, lean in on some trusted brothers for encouragement and even some new ideas on how they are working on their health and fitness.

SuperHuman Motivation Doesn’t Exist  

In order to achieve the motivation we want, we first have to let go of what motivation is not. Motivation is not out of our control, it is also not always going to be high. Remember It’s supposed to have highs and lows, that’s what being human is. Adjust the plan if you need to, to keep boredom at bay and don’t forget to call in reinforcements to help out when you need it.

Accepting this helps us stay the course and when we are in a low state of motivation, it helps us not quit and assume that everything is lost. Then, we can go about moving our motivation toward the peak again with these simple strategies.