Motivation is overrated. You do not need motivation to take an action

Self-motivation — how to get motivated, motivation techniques; it seems that nobody can do a thing without motivation. You want to open a business, enter a college, study for a test or achieve your goal? You have to be motivated. In reality, though, you don't need motivation to take an action. Moreover, motivation can lead you on and delay your plans.

Too much depends on our motivation. I have always thought that such things as need, must or even want come before your motivation. You always do something, because you need to do it or as George Carlin said, you either want it on you don't. What's the problem?

You might say that I just try to find fault with words, but it all gets quite complicated, when all your “must do” are restrained by motivation. I would rather say that motivation, with all the weight we put in this word, is a luxury. You're probably paying to much attention to yourself, and definitely wasting a lot of time. You are scarcely to have enough motivation to complete all of your tasks. Moreover, you do not need to be motivated in order to do something; knowing what (and when, and why) is needed to be done is more than enough.

You can not rely on motivation, because the state of being motivated as any other states such as sadness, happiness or enthusiasm changes. Beside your inner conditions, there are external conditions that influence you and your state of mind, causing your behavior to change. Motivation can not guarantee the completeness of the task; furthermore, it can not guarantee the success of it. Setting of objectives and setting of accurate deadlines, as well as your effort to complete the tasks on time will lead you to the achievement of your goal.

As much as you strive to get motivated, the motivation can lead you on. When an idea strikes our mind, we tend to think about it as about a completed task, or an already achieved goal; a result. In other words, you cook a hare before catching him. When we get enthusiastic about an idea, we usually think about the success and profit (or other advantages) it might bring. We rarely think about the hard work we will have to put in it, in order to achieve success. So when someone decides to bring one of his ideas to life, relying just on motivation, without taking in consideration the risks and the difficulties, that might occur in the process, and the person is likely to become the victim of disappointment. He might give up, believing he has made a wrong choice.

Just the sole thought of the thing you want to do is more inspiring and motivating than the actual process. Literally speaking, just the thought of writing a poem is more motivating than the poem itself. When we talk about process, we never know where it can lead. Imagine how many great projects didn't see the light, because their creator relied on motivation, which is short-lived. Our mind is created in such way, that it doesn't perceive past, present or future. That why, you are able to see the final result right away, without going through all the steps, that you will have to pass. And, this ability of our mind makes us motivated. This is the reason why we are so enthusiastic at the beginning; because we can see the result in our head. Under such circumstances motivation is a trap.

What we have to understand is, that true motivation does not come at the beginning. What you feel in the beginning is the false enthusiasm you get because of the image you're able to project in your mind. True motivation comes in the middle of the process, and it gives you the power to carrie on. Motivation is as an intermediate agent. If you don't give up in the beginning, and are able to get at least to the middle motivation ( as a reminder of the past results) helps you to continue to go ahead. At the beginning, when you decide to take an action, you don't need motivation, but rather perseverance and a good focus on the task you have to perform. During the process of the performance of the task, it's important not to think about secondary things that do not relate to your work; do not analyze how you feel at the moment. It might be difficult at the beginning, but in course of time it will become a habit. One has to try to become one with the work he does; think about what he does and how he does it. When we work, we become a tool, a bridge, that leads to result.

You might contradict me by saying that you need motivation to fulfill your dream or achieve your goal, to do something greater than a simple performance of a task, or study for a test . And I would say that for those great projects you need courage, not motivation; you have to possess the courage to make the first step, and motivation will appear on its own, when you begin to firmly walk the path you've chosen.

The more you're searching for the motivation, the more you're postponing something that you could have started yesterday.

Finally, I didn't mean to lower your self-motivation level or your self-esteem. I just wanted to warn you not to rely on motivation too much, as it is not the actual thing that leads you to success. And, frankly speaking, you don't wake up in the morning because you are motivated, but rather because your heart in beating, and this is enough to actually wake up and begin to act.