My trick to feeling motivated

One of the things I’m most proud of in my life is the fact that for the past 1.5 years or so, I’ve been waking up at 6:15am to workout before work.

Crazy, I know 🤪. If you had told me even 2 years ago that that would be a part of my life I would have laughed in your face. With love of course.

It was at that time that I had switched to working in the corporate world. I was tired of working in the restaurant world and wanted to see what else I could possibly do. (A switch I also thought I’d never make, but that’s a story for another time.)

At one point I made the decision to “try” to wake up early to workout before work. My building complex has a gym which is a 5 minute walk from my place, and the short commute makes it so much harder for me to have any excuse not to workout. So my “try” turned into “do”.

I began noticing how much better my days were when I worked out vs. when I didn’t. I had so much more energy, and was so much more likely to be in a better mood. I also knew that working out AFTER work was not very likely because come 5pm I was tired and I couldn’t muster the energy, or I had plans or was much more likely to make an excuse.

Was I always motivated to get up at 6:15am to workout? HELL NO! And did I always do it, every day? Nope. So how did I get motivated?

I DIDN’T.

My reframe around how I thought about motivation changed everything. And my reframe was this:

Dedication over motivation.

When I started thinking about what I’m dedicated to instead of waiting to see if I was motivated to workout, those wake-ups got just a little easier. If I needed to be motivated to wake up at 6:15am you better believe I would never do it.

I was, and still am, dedicated to: my health, having more energy in my day, being in a better mood, a strong body, a clear mind.

It’s the same with any new habit you’re trying to implement. Writing more songs, eating healthier, learning a new skill. If you wait to be motivated, you’ll be waiting forever. If you can dedicate yourself to what’s on the other side (your future you) there’s an invisible string that pulls you along. At least that’s how it works for me.

I am dedicated to feeling good, and I know from experience that I feel better when I workout first thing in the morning. Hence I am now someone who wakes up at the crack of dawn to feel good. It may not feel good when that alarm goes off, but an hour later, I feel amazing.

How about you? Is there something that you’ve been waiting to get motivated for that you could instead become dedicated to?

Share in the comments below so that we can inspire each other to choose dedication over motivation.

All my love and dedication,
Dana