If you’re waiting to feel motivated before you change something, you’re going to be waiting forever. Ninety percent of what I do in my life, I don’t do because I’m motivated. I do it because I’ve decided.

In this episode I talk about why the thing you know is a good idea keeps getting pushed to “another day,” and why it has nothing to do with motivation. Doing something you’ve never done before is uncomfortable, even when it’s exactly what you want. That’s true whether it’s setting a boundary, having a hard conversation, doing something more regulating for yourself, or getting out in the world. I’ll teach you how to make decisions in advance so the discomfort doesn’t get to decide for you.

I use my own podcast as the example. My rule is that I record at least the day before an episode releases. If I waited until I felt like it, it would keep getting bumped down the road until release day, and then I’d be dragging it, procrastinating and not getting it out on time. So I decide ahead of time: the day, the time, the topic, the setup ready to go and time left to edit. There would not be 300-plus episodes of this show if I’d been waiting for motivation.

Key Takeaways:

You do not need motivation to change something in your life

Doing something new creates discomfort, even when it’s designed to give you what you want

“I wasn’t motivated” is usually the story we tell when the discomfort won

Deciding in advance means picking the day, the time and what you need in place

If you don’t plan it, you probably won’t do it

Making one decision ahead of time is a small concept with big results

What’s one thing you really wish you were doing right now? Decide when you’re going to start and what the first step is. Then come tell me about it. Send me a DM on Instagram at @theamandahess and let me know what stood out for you or what you’re struggling with. Let’s have a conversation about it.

Links referenced in this episode:

https://www.instagram.com/theamandahess

https://amandahess.ca