The Myth of Motivation

Exercise is one of my foundational daily practices; I haven’t missed a morning workout in over 12 years.

Some days, I bound into the gym with a lot of energy, eager to test my strength or conditioning with a max lift or an all-out effort. I get started quickly, sustain my energy throughout, and leave feeling really good.

Other days look much different: I drag my heels, putter and procrastinate, start slow, and don’t push myself at all. I may not be in the mood to exercise. I’m not feeling it. My energy is lagging.

The first scenario looks like I’m “highly motivated” and the second looks like I’m “lacking motivation.” If I’m being sloppy with my language, I might even use that term to describe my state of being.

But neither scenario is a reflection of my “motivation” levels.

They are reflections of my energy levels, capacity, nervous system state, and emotions or mood.

This is an important distinction, especially for people with ADHD.

The Myth of Fluctuating Motivation

A common myth about motivation is that “motivation” fluctuates. For people with ADHD, that myth perpetuates a belief that without the right “motivation levels” we cannot take action.

The problem is that this myth is based on a misunderstanding of what motivation is.

Words have meaning, and it’s important to be specific. Specificity helps us identify the real problem and come up with the right solution.

What We Mean By “Motivation” vs What Motivation Really Means

The phrase I hear most often from clients is

I know what I need to do but I just can’t seem to get myself to do it.

They think they have a “motivation problem,” but in almost every case, it’s not about motivation.

When we say we’re “not motivated” what we often mean is

• lacking energy
• lacking capacity
• not in the mood
• overwhelmed or emotionally flooded
• not emotionally connected to the activity or the perceived reward
• the perceived reward is intangible or too far in the distance.

These are all real challenges, but they’re not about motivation in the actual meaning of the word.

Motivation is about your motive: the reason (or reasons) why you are doing a specific action.

Read: The Key to Generating Motivation With Less Effort

To be sure, there are cases where we might really be “lacking motivation.” A true “lack of motivation” might result from one of the following:

• You never had a compelling reason.
• You lost connection to your original reasons.
• Your reasons for doing something no longer apply.
• Your reasons are no longer resonant for you.

Even here, it’s crucial to investigate why we believe we are ’lacking motivation.” We can feel disconnected from our motive because we are depleted, overwhelmed, or in a shut-down mode.

Motivation is unchanging. Our energy levels, our capacity to engage, and our connection with our motivation are what fluctuate.

Read: The Common Lie About Action and Motivation

Why This Matters

The real challenge for people with ADHD is that we can be highly motivated and still unable to take action.

Although we may call our challenge a “lack of motivation,” it’s really either a lack of capacity, energy, or bandwidth to take action, or a disconnection from the perceived reward of the action.

Here’s why this matters:

If you think you’re “lacking motivation” and you believe that motivation “fluctuates,” then everything becomes about waiting for motivation to reappear, instead of addressing the real issue.

This approach puts you at the mercy of a force you cannot control or predict. It removes your agency to create conditions that can support action.

That’s a disempowering stance that also introduces uncertainty into your routine — which itself is dysregulating and depleting of your energy to act.

Accurate Diagnosis Is Essential to Solving the Problem

There’s a difference between lacking motivation and feeling disconnected from your motivation because you’re overloaded, emotionally overwhelmed, or burned out.

To be clear, disconnection from motive and depleted energy, bandwidth, and capacity, are all real challenges. When the nervous system shuts down, action becomes impossible, no matter how motivated we are.

We need to approach this situation with compassion and care, rather than attempt to push through.

It doesn’t matter how motivated you are to drive to the store; you won’t get anywhere if your car won’t start. But to get the car to start, you must diagnose why it’s not starting.

Is the battery dead? Is there a problem with the engine? Is there an issue with the ignition?

The next time you catch yourself saying that you “don’t feel motivated,” pause to consider what’s really going on.

The key to addressing the issue is to accurately diagnose what’s happening.