{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Live on Purpose Radio","title":"Stop Trying to Feel Motivated – Episode #725","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":770,"description":"In this solo episode of Live On Purpose Radio, Dr. Paul Jenkins takes on a quiet assumption many of us carry: as soon as I feel motivated, then I'll do it. We wait to feel like exercising, having the hard conversation, or changing the habit. His point is that motivation is a feeling, not a prerequisite. Feelings are not commands, and they don't have to come first. Motivation is useful when it shows up, but it is unreliable as a strategy because our energy, our circumstances, and the stories we tell about them can change on a dime. He also warns against hearing \"I don't feel like it\" as \"I can't do this right now.\"\n \nWhen the alarm goes off, Dr. Paul suggests asking a new question. Instead of \"do I feel like exercising?\", ask \"am I committed to my health?\" He draws on Mel Robbins' five second rule. Count down from five to one, then take a physical action like sitting up or putting your feet on the floor. A countdown ends in a launch, which is why counting up doesn't work. Once you move, you have momentum, and progress is what makes us feel motivated. As he puts it, don't wait for motivation to create movement. Use movement to create motivation. He ties this back to episode 724 and the idea that action is part of the practice that strengthens a new neural pathway.\n \nTo make the first step doable, Dr. Paul suggests making it ridiculously small. Don't write the book, open the document and write one paragraph, even if it says \"I don't even know what to write.\" Don't fix the relationship, start one meaningful conversation. Don't become a positive person, catch one negative thought today and reconsider it. He adds that meaning is more powerful than motivation. Motivation asks whether you feel like doing this, while meaning asks why it matters, who benefits, and who you are becoming through the practice. When the why is strong enough, the feeling becomes optional.\n \nThe episode closes with an invitation. Think of one thing you already know matters, something you have...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/ICDRnrPE1UyPkqD1LmyDWRymVA_Z56UexFmZbJk6JeY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS83NTc0/ZWNlMGNiNzQ4MWEz/YzAzODJkZmRhZTY1/Y2MwMS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}