8.11 Muhammad Ali: Action Before Motivation

 

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” - Muhammad Ali

What do you think comes first: motivation or action?

We often think we need to be motivated first to do something and action follows, but leadership coach Shade Zahrai says research tells us the exact opposite.

She says that because of the way our brains are wired, motivation comes after action—our brains have to see us doing the work and putting in the reps for motivation to kick in.

Once we get started and going, our brains want to keep going.

Think about how many times you don’t feel like working out but feel happy that you did when it’s over? The hardest part about working out for me is usually getting started. Now I know it’s not just me and getting started in the real challenge.

Boxing great Muhammad Ali once said, “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’”

Waiting to feel ready and motivated is often a form of procrastination, and the longer you wait, the heavier the task feels and the harder it gets to actually get started.

Instead of waiting for motivation to hit you, just get started and the motivation will come.

Start small. Take one step. Write one thing down.  Commit to doing the smallest possible version of the task for just two minutes—I call this the 2 Minute Drill.

Once you begin, you create momentum, and that’s when motivation kicks in.

Question of the Day: How can you act when you don’t feel motivated?