What To Do When Motivation Fades

It’s official, we are one month into 2022. Remember those New Year’s resolutions you made? How are they going? Some of you may be crushing your goals. Others, if you’re already struggling to carry out those resolutions, you definitely are not alone. At the beginning of the year all of us were motivated. Going to hit the gym, eat healthier, or drink a gallon of water a day (from our HydroJugs of course.) It was “New Year, New Me” and “This is our year”. However, 31 days later, many of you may have experienced that new year motivation fade. Life is busy! You get sick. Things happen that throw you out of your routine. Seasonal depression has officially kicked in…ect ect ect. 

The dictionary defines motivation as: the general desire or willingness of someone to do something. Motivation is extremely powerful and we can do amazing things when we are motivated. Things we never thought to accomplish. There are a lot of quotes about motivation and staying motivated. They make us feel like we need to be motivated all of the time. But the reality is that motivation is fleeting. That desire and willingness fades over time…

So what do we do when our motivation fades? This is where discipline comes in. The dictionary defines discipline as: to train by instruction and exercise, drill. Discipline is the practice of creating a habit, and let’s be honest, most of us are creatures of habit. It takes about 21 days for a new habit to form and about 66 days for behavior to become automatic. 

This is the key to success. If you can be disciplined and do something for 21 days (only 3 weeks) you can go way farther than your motivation will take you. We aren’t saying that motivation won’t play a part, but on the days where your motivation isn’t there, your habits and discipline will push you through. 

So if you fell behind on your New Year’s resolutions and goals, don’t give up now! You have 11 more months to accomplish what you set out to do. Just remember to keep going. We challenge you to do something for 3 weeks, be disciplined, and you’ll be amazed by the habits that form and start to become natural.

This is your reminder that you can do it! You are amazing! You CAN pursue your goals! Drink lots of water, get some good sleep, and remember that every day is a good day to have a good day!

Here’s to relying on discipline over motivation and forming healthy habits in 2022.