It’s interesting how many people blame motivation on their inaction or procrastination. Really, motivation in itself doesn’t do anything, it’s just a feeling of being excited and ready to go. There are, at a guess, millions of Australians who are unmotivated, yet everyday, they get up and, in their unmotivated state, go to work.

So why do we all think motivation is so important, and is it possible to do what you know you need to do, without that all ellusive state of motivation? The reason most people don’t succeed is that they are ‘content enough’ with their life.

Let’s look at someone who’s obese and wanting to lose weight. They are constantly on a motivation continium, at one end there are the serious health risks of obesity, heart attack, diabities and the possibility of death. On the other end is the beautiful image of them feeling fit, looking fantastic and living with absolute vitality. Realistically, not many people are down near the death end of the continuim, even if they are, it’s likely they will do just enough to move far enough away from it to get back to ‘comfortable’. Chances are most people that are overweight can’t see a clear image of how remarkable life could be when they achieve their health and fitness goals. So they are stuck somewhere in the middle, without any great need (to get away from the heart attack end) or desire (to get towards the amazing health end) to change.

So, let’s cut to the chase. The only reason we do anything is to avoid pain or gain pleasure. Motivation is always more effective when were working towards something and not trying to get away from something. So if you want to motivate yourself to really start taking action, you need to get clear on what the outcome will be and how it fits with your core values of what’s most ipmortant in your life!

When your action is driven by your values motivation comes easily!