Youre not going to feel motivated every single day. Try focusing on this

Youre not going to feel motivated every single day. Try focusing on thisYoure not going to feel motivated every single day. Try focusing on thisIts taken me a long time to learn that motivation isnt an external source of inspiration.Its an inner quiet you have to practice listening to.People get unmotivated when they expect to always be filled with motivation.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWe talk about Motivation like its this fiery, relentless, never-ending source of rampaging drive that is as addictive as any drug, as warm as any love, and as uncontrollable and brilliant as any creator that has come before us.We think its supposed to never end, and when it does, we suddenly wonder and feel very confused as to why we are unmotivated.Thats not how motivation works.Motivation is the little voice inside your head that reminds you of what really matters.Its the struggleto sit thr ough an entire movie without pulling out a notepad to jot down an idea.Its the feelingguilty for going out with your friends when you know youre so close to finishing a project youve been working on for a while now.Its why you wake upevery morning and go to sleep every night thinking about what you want to create.You might not wake up gung-ho and leaping towards your desk to get to work, and you might not be an insomniac obsessing about your ideas at night - you might fall asleep in seconds and not think twice about it.This doesnt mean you are unmotivated.Motivation is the fact that you think about it and ultimately do something about it every singleday.Very rarely do I have 100% days.A 100% day is when I wake up, shower, and get dressed in 15 minutes.I meditate for 15 minutes and actually enter a calm state of meditation.I listen to a TedTalk while I make breakfast and prepare my meals for the day.I read a book - usually dense Russian literature - before I get to work.I work wit hout ADDing on social media, and I dig, really dig into tough, tough tasks without procrastinating or avoiding them.I eat and then go to the gym and have a fantastic lift.I either make dinner or meet my girlfriend or a friend for dinner, come home, and then write for 2 hours.I turn the lights out, reflect on the day, and fall asleep.Thats a 100%day.And every once in a while, I have one.When I fall asleep for the night, I feel amazing. I feel like Ive just conquered the world. I know in my heart of hearts that today, this day, I grew as much as I possibly could and couldnt have done anything else. 100%. I gave it my all, every moment.I was extremely motivated.And then other days, I do 1/10th ofthat.I barely watch a full TedTalk.I listen to music or scroll through social media instead of reading.I ADD a lot during the day.I get some stuff done, but I didnt really push myself.I go to the gym, but my lift ismeh.I come home. Im tired.I write in my journal for 10 minutes and then I go to bed.And thatsOK.Motivation is the fact that even though I have some 100% days and some 10% days, I dont stop trying to have 100%days.I dont stop moving towards my ultimate goal.I dont give up completely.Ive learned not to expect 100% days from myself every single day.Its unreasonable and although a good goal, Im not perfect.Some days I need to let my brain rest. Some days I need to be lazy. Some days I need to not push myself to the edge so that I can recoup some energy.When we talk about Motivation, we think of it as asprint.How can I stay motivated the entiretime?You cant.And youre not supposed to - not in that sense.Thats not what Motivation is.Motivation is your ability to head towards the saatkorn goal over a long period oftime.This article was originally published on Medium.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedul e that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people