D Is For... "Do Something"

Taking Action

Lacking Motivation? Instead Of Waiting For Inspiration To Strike, You Might Want To Try This Instead

It's a fallacy to think we need to be inspired in order to get motivated, says Mark Manson. The real trick is to start first - and then the magic will come

It's not always possible to feel fired up. When it comes to the magic of motivation, the only thing we can actually rely on is the fact that we can't rely on it all.

Our enthusiasm levels fluctuate throughout the day, waxing and waning with our circadian rhythms. All being well, they run their natural course and we feel the fire in our bellies again.

Other times our "down" spells can go on for what feels like a lifetime. We stare at blank screens, with blank minds and zero idea how to get back to that place of inspired action we had before.

And this, says author Mark Manson, is where we can make a vital mistake.

Listen to what Mark Manson
Has To Say Here:

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We wait for inspiration to come. We wait for that magical feeling, that breakthough idea, to be "in the right frame of mind" in order to begin again. The thing is, while it might very well come eventually, we potentially waste a lot of time waiting for it, he says.

Manson's advice is simple: just do something. Anything - literally.

"Action isn’t just the effect of motivation, but also the cause of it," he explains in his blog (and in the video above). Action comes before inspiration or motivation, he argues, the three components then forming an endless loop (ideally) - but the key to always remember, is that the action part is the catalyst.

 "Your actions create {...} emotional reactions and inspirations," he explains which then motivate you to take more actions on other things, which encourage and motivate your further. And on it goes.

Manson, a former life coach, calls this the "Do Something Principle". It's a simple piece of advice which he has given to his clients - and to himself - and he swears by it.

So the next time you're sitting in the proverbial waiting room and the flash of inspiration still hasn't arrived, try taking action on something - either on the task at hand, or on literally anything else instead. You might find the wheels of your creative train will start to grease themselves.

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