I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as the sun peaked through my blinds and I thought to myself, once again: I’m exhausted.
This was not new. I woke up most mornings this way lately. I searched for that reason to get up; that reason that we all reach for; that reason to keep on keeping on. My days fell into a comfortable routine and my reason was the same everyday: my coffee and morning show. Of course I had a lot of reasons to get up: my health, family, friends, education, jobs, everything. But for some reason, that coffee and that morning show were it.
The morning show—The Start Today Morning Show With Dave and Rachel Hollis, gives viewers a carefree environment to laugh and be inspired (I highly recommend checking it out–> follow Rachel Hollis on Instagram). This specific morning, I went about making my coffee as I did every morning and tuned into the 8 o’ clock show in the same spot I always had. I listened to Dave make cheesy joke after cheesy joke until he Rachel said something that made me rethink every aspect of my life: Nothing will motivate you. You motivate you. It was such a simple thing, yet it held so much weight. It didn’t matter how many gyms you joined, equipment you purchased, workout buddies you made—that’s temporary. You, yourself, is where that motivation is housed. You. Not the external things and people around you. Not the Instagram models; not the fancy workout clothes; not the sleek stair climber, you.
It’s easy to look at others and think “Wow, they’re motivated.” However the reality is, no one is motivated. Losing motivation is inevitable. It’s about making healthy habits and doing them over and over again until they become mindless, everyday activities. Dave and Rachel went on to say how even the most motivated individuals find excuses not to continue. The fact of the matter is—you don’t think, you just do. Why do you think the Nike tagline is so successful? If we didn’t do things when we didn’t want to do them, we wouldn’t ever do them. It sounds so easy, cliché even, yet we as humans don’t seem to acknowledge its power. Everyone can find an excuse; a reason not to; a reason to talk themselves out of it. That’s simple. The part most of us fail at is pushing those thoughts back before they ever have a chance to influence our actions.
Drive. That’s the difference between the good and the great. Find the drive. Better yet, create the drive.