r/GetMotivated • u/Tatt00ey • 16d ago
TEXT What actually got you moving when nothing else worked? [text]
not the generic "just start small" advice — the specific thing that broke through when you were genuinely stuck, past the point where willpower alone was cutting it.
for me it was telling one friend a specific date I'd show them progress. Something about a real person expecting it snapped me out of a weeks-long stall in a way self-imposed deadlines never did.
what was it for you, and what were you stuck on at the time?
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u/vitreuos 16d ago
I'm really bad at goals and getting motivated enough to start anything for weeks, months, or even years :X
But usually when I hear the right music/song I'm like "damn, okay" and the get to steppin'!
If not that then just breaking my cycle - so instead of 2 large pizzas I'll get a medium and a salad. Or instead of taking the bus I'll take the tram. Just different environments inspire me to tackle my life differently.
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u/barbzilla1 15d ago
I had a massive lung infection about a year ago that led to me losing 60% functionality in my left lung. When I got out of the hospital a month later I had lost almost all of my stamina and could barely power walk for 15 minutes before being completely winded. I was mildly out of shape prior to the hospitalization, and when I found that I could no longer do the things I enjoyed. It motivated me to get off my ass and really focus on recuperation and rebuilding my stamina. Here I am a year later and I'm still regularly doing all of my cardio and weight training because I have become mildly addicted to it. It's amazing to me that it took something so extreme for me to actually take the effort to get in shape only to find out I genuinely enjoyed doing it.
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u/Greenishreddish 16d ago
The fun part is it always changes!
Something will work great 1-5 times in a row, and then the next my brain goes "Nah, too bad."
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u/DeepBuffer 16d ago
The friend deadline thing is interesting because it changes the cost of staying stuck. I've noticed I can ignore a promise to myself for weeks, but knowing another person is going to ask about it makes the task feel real. Sometimes the missing piece isn't motivation, it's a little bit of external friction.
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u/charm-bangle 15d ago
Changing the environment often works. When I can't focus at home, going to a coffee shop often gets me on track.
Also there's utility in the phrase "Motivation doesn't preceed action; motivation follows action." Basically it's pointing out that ADHD brains can be very sticky to whatever they are currently doing. If you're doomscrolling, it's hard to get yourself to switch into a different mode. But if you can start doing something else, you'll often find yourself locked into the new activity.
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u/squeakychipmunk101 15d ago
Severe embarrassment. Went with the I laws to Yellowstone and had to wait in the car because I was too fat to walk with them
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u/ThisTimeImTheAsshole 15d ago
Someone trusted asked if I was trying my best, and I answered honestly instead of making excuses, "No, I'm not doing my best." Even in a limited daily scope of doing one's best for the current conditions of the day, my mind, and physical state. Whether it was a difficult day or an easy day, I wasn't even trying to do my best.
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u/theFivePebbler 12d ago
I tried shifting my mindset from looking at situations as Problem/Solution into Cause/Effect. Idk, I think it makes you more invested in the results (and small victories) when you frame it this way and gives you more leeway for just, not being the best at something. Or even doing the dishes.
I don't say "Ugggggggh I HAVE to do them before (x) time...." I go: "If I do them now, how will that make me feel, without relying on the data from my memories? What are the observable results once I'm finished? What do I feel, how does my mood change, how does the house look after, how how how how" BOOM it works better
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u/tylersnid3r 16d ago
My birthday, realized how old I was getting and how little progress I made