This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

This Video On Why 'Motivation Is Garbage' Is Powerful

Forget what you've been told.

Motivation is a tricky beast. Sometimes it feels easy to wake up in the morning and get on with being a gung-ho warrior. Other days, it's a real struggle.

According to motivational speaker and former clinical defense attorney Mel Robbins, we need to be chucking our desire to 'get motivated' out the window.

You only feel motivated to do the things that are easy.

"At some point, we were all built into this lie that we need to feel ready in order to change. We bought into this falsehood that at some point, we're going to have the courage... it's complete garbage," Robbins said.

Robbins recently appeared on the TV show 'Impact Theory' that brought us Simon Sinek's viral musings on millennials.

"One of the hardest things for me has been figuring out why is it so hard to do the little things that would improve my life?"

"There are so many people in the world who have these incredible ideas and yet we think what is missing is motivation," Robbins said.

"The way that our minds are wired as human beings is that we are not designed to do things that are uncomfortable or scary or difficult. Our brains are designed to protect us from these things to keep us alive."

"In order to change -- in order to build a business or to be the best parent -- you're going to have to do things that are difficult, uncertain or scary. Which sets up this problem for all of us. You're never going to feel like it.

"You only feel motivated to do the things that are easy."

According to Robbins, this aversion is incredibly subtle. And it starts with another habit that we don't like to talk about.

We all have a habit of hesitation.

"We have an idea and instead of saying it, we stop and we hesitate. Just in that micro moment, it sends a stress signal that wakes your brain up," Robbins said.

"You can truly trace every single problem or complaint in your life to silence and hesitation. Those are decisions."

So what can we do about it?

1. Wake up and realise that motivation is garbage, so stop waiting for it.

2. Learn to take control of that micro moment.

This is a concept Robbins has been sharing for years since developing the '5-Second Rule' for decision making. Her TedX talk on the topic has been viewed over 8 million times.

ALSO ON HUFFPOST AUSTRALIA

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.