The motivation post I've basically written 100 times

mo·ti·va·tion ˌmōdəˈvāSH(ə)n/ noun the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way. "escape can be a strong motivation for travel" synonyms: motive, motivating force, incentive, stimulus, stimulation, inspiration, inducement, incitement, spur, reason; informalcarrot "his motivation was financial" the general desire or willingness of someone to do something. "keep staff up to date and maintain interest and motivation" synonyms: enthusiasm, drive, ambition, initiative, determination, enterprise; informalget-up-and-go "keep up the staff's motivation" Sounds pretty easy doesn't it? I mean, dictionaries make everything sound complicated, but really, motivation is just simply my reason for doing things. What if I said, in my experience, motivation is just a made up, abstract concept that really doesn't drive us to action? You might disagree or you might start to ponder this thought. Dr. David Burns writes about how ACTION actually precedes motivation. Burns writes: “If you said motivation, you made an excellent, logical choice. Unfortunately, you’re wrong. Motivation does not come first, action does! You have to prime the pump. then you will begin to get motivated, and the fluids will flow spontaneously.” I ask people often "so what do you do when motivation fails?" And they never have an answer because what they DO is usually quit. Now, Burns refers to this in regard to treating mood disorders but it can be applied to pretty much everything. In fact, I apply it on a pretty regular basis when I am posting on Facebook in fitness groups. I think I have averaged writing it out once a week for the last several months on facebook pages when someone says "help! I lost my motivation". Of course you did... because it's not real and you can't actually hang onto it. When I reply to these people or when I'm talking to my clients, I don't ask "what can you think of to help you?" I always say "what can you DO to take one step in the direction you desire?" It doesn't really matter what their "motivation" is to change their lives.. It matters what they can DO to change their lives. And then it's about what is that person prepared to do (but that might be another post). In the end, what is most important is stop sitting around waiting for the Motivation Fairy to sprinkle some dust on you to lift you magically off your couch... even if she stops in for a moment, it won't be long before you are back on your couch. ACTION creates MOMENTUM... MOMENTUM creates what feels like MOTIVATION. Do one thing today... don't think about it, don't plan to start Monday when you "feel" like it... do one thing today that puts you on your path that you want... whether it's related to eating, lifting, or anxiety. And then every time you make a choice, don't think about what you want... just make a choice to do that over and over! But choice is also another blog....