Being motivated by someone or something is a great feeling that never seems to get old.  Although many people will agree with this, a vicious cycle exists that prevents the average person from doing anything with this motivation.  Perhaps you know this cycle that I am talking about from your own experiences. The cycle that prevents you from staying motivated.

If you don’t know what the hell I am talking about, keep reading…

Motivation comes in many forms, and it is wonderful for giving us hope.  I listen to a ton of podcasts and occasionally watch videos too.  Come to think of it; I consume a fair amount of the written word too.  This effort and investment of my time are utterly worthless if I don’t do anything with the motivation.  To articulate this more clearly, I want to drive a point home. The point that you must do something while motivated to make any measurable change in your life.

I feel like a broken record in a lot of ways because I talk about the same topics all of the time.  Every time I begin to question my sanity, I meet another new person who has dreams and different things that they want to try. Yet they won’t do anything about it.  If you enjoy your daily dose of motivation too, please listen to these words as you read them. Then also hear in your mind.  Motivation is the first piece of the puzzle but amounts to nothing without a change in behavior behind it.  

I can imagine that some of you are reading this screaming at your phones or your computers because you just don’t know HOW to make yourself put the action behind the fleeting euphoria that the motivational content brings you.  The answer is recognizing your pain.  If you light a candle and place your hand one inch above the flame what happens?  You move your hand because the pain becomes too great.  I have to admit that the last sentence creates a clear and powerful visual in my mind.

How about in yours?

If you stop and think about your life, I am willing to bet that you have undesirable circumstances in different areas of your life.  This could be in your relationships, in your work or with your business or bad habits that you can’t seem to break.  When you get motivated to change AND when your pain becomes too great in your current scenario, you will move away from the flame without thinking twice about it.  Pain can make all of the fear that usually holds you back dissolve like a few sugar cubes in a mug of hot tea.  There is no good reason to endure pain if you don’t need to.  When is the last time that your fear did anything good for you?  Try something new and move away from the things, people, and environments that cause you pain.  You deserve to be happy and to get the most out of this life, while it lasts.

Motivation rocks, but I have established that it does not last.  The results of your action can last though.  I always end up here in the same place, and I tell you to just “do.”  Many starting places lead to the same checkpoint, and I suppose this is one of those examples.  Some people feel pain when they are hurt, and others react when the burden of being without something causes them to act.  You know yourself and where your breaking points are.  Do something today that your future self will thank you for tomorrow.  

Why wait until it hurts even more?

If this inspires a thought, experience or opinion, please leave a comment on this post.  I usually don’t make this request, but share this across your social channels if you believe that it may help someone else too.