Motivation seems like it's something you either have or you don't, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Motivation is a skill that can be gained and fine tuned to help you reach the goals in your life to benefit your well-being. When it comes to getting motivated I'm not saying you'll just wake up in the morning and decide to feel the intense urge to excel in your day. You can dive into this skill with ease and small victories that make big differences.
The first being, you have to stop always listening to your feelings. What you may feel like doing in the moment may not be what's best for you. For example, you may get upset and want to veg out and emotionally eat that ben and jerry's pint of ice-cream, but is that helpful or harmful? Or maybe you just don't feel like being active that day so you don't go on that walk or make that class at the gym. This is also not helpful. Feelings can be flighty and may not always have our best interest in mind. Of course you should listen to your body when you need rest, but there is a difference between self care and avoidance.
The second point to be made is understanding the difference between what you want now and what you want most. What I mean by that is, making sure your behavior is in line with the big picture. Sometime what you want to do in the moment isn't in alignment with the end goal, but not allowing yourself to get off track is most important; this is discipline. Acting in ways for what you want most may be difficult somedays, but the reward of reaching that goal makes it all worth it. You just have to keep reminding yourself why you're doing what you're doing.
The last point is if you want to grow you have to learn to be okay with being uncomfortable. When becoming motivated to do something there comes a point where you'll reach a place of discomfort, due to growth. Whether it be in the gym, at work, etc, when you are growing as a person you have to learn to deal with discomfort and continue to stay motivated on the task at hand. The only way to move forward in life is to MOVE. You have to keep going because soon you'll adapt to the changes just to find that there will be new changes. It is enviable. By learning to walk in that discomfort you'll continue to grow and see results within yourself.
Motivation is a very valuable skill, but it does not come easy. It takes work and sometimes trial and error. It doesn't always mean you have to be on the go, sometimes it means taking a break and decompressing from life to recharge, but remember you have to do what's in YOUR best interest and not allow yourself to be the one hindering your own growth.
