Motivation versus Commitment

motivation vs commitment
Drawing by Adrian Serghie

We talk so much about motivation and how it works and how it can help us get sh*t done, but I believe we forget one thing: motivation goes away from time to time. So what are we going to do in those times? How do we still go forward?

In my opinion, this disappearing motivation is one of the biggest momentum killers. We still want to do whatever we need to do, but not in that moment. And that’s how procrastination comes and it replaces the motivation and guess what? Procrastination becomes the habit, not getting things done, which is very dangerous.

“You sound very dramatic! It’s not that big of a deal to give yourself a break from time to time when you’re not feeling it! Anyway, what can we do about it?” Yes, you’re right. It’s not that big of a deal to give yourself a break from time to time when we’re not feeling it, but if that “time to time” is more often than doing the thing, we’ll lose momentum, the time will pass and we’ll get the impression that our thing doesn’t work and chances for us to quit go higher. But to answer your question, we can do something. We can commit to do whatever it takes. Commitment gets things done! Great people don’t do things when they feel like doing them, they do it all the time because they made a commitment to do whatever it takes.

Commitment doesn’t go away that easy if the desire is in there and usually it is. Motivation is the one that goes away, which makes things harder, but commitment pushes us through that hardness. I often say that emotions are tricksters and they can get us all over the place. Our emotions can stop us from doing things when motivation is gone, but the commitment is always there. Is like a persistent piece of gum stuck in a shoe crack that doesn’t go away. Also, when you commit on something, you do it regardless how you feel because you decided to do whatever it takes; and “whatever it takes” doesn’t take into consideration emotions.

   “Most people fail, not because of lack of desire, but because of lack of commitment.” – Vince Lombardi

In which area of your life are you committed to do whatever it talks to move forward?

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