Motivation is often seen as the driving force behind success, the spark that ignites action and the fuel that keeps us going towards our goals. From self-help books to motivational speeches, we are constantly told that motivation is the key to achieving anything we desire. But what if the truth about motivation isn’t as glamorous or straightforward as we’ve been led to believe? What if motivation is not the magical ingredient we think it is?

The hard truth is that motivation, while important, is often overrated, inconsistent, and unreliable. It’s not something that we can depend on to keep us on track every day. Understanding this uncomfortable reality can actually help us make better decisions about how to approach our goals and find sustainable, long-term success.

Motivation is fleeting and unpredictable. It comes in waves—sometimes, we feel deeply inspired, and other times, we’re completely drained. No matter how passionate we are about our goals or how much we’ve invested in a particular pursuit, motivation can vanish in an instant. Think about times in your life when you were determined to start a new habit—whether it was exercising, eating healthy, or learning a new skill. At first, motivation pushes you forward; you feel energised and excited. But after a few days or weeks, that initial burst of enthusiasm starts to fade, and suddenly, getting out of bed for a workout feels like an impossible task. This is the nature of motivation: fickle and hard to sustain over time.

What this means is that if you rely on motivation to push you through all your tasks, you’ll find it incredibly difficult to maintain any consistent progress. The reality is that motivation won’t always be there when you need it most. Some days, you’ll feel like you have the energy to conquer the world and other days, you’ll feel like you can barely get out of bed.

There are a few reasons for this, and the main one is that motivation is deeply tied to our emotions. It’s most often a reaction to how we feel in the moment—whether we’re excited or inspired. For example, you may feel a rush of motivation after attending an inspiring talk or after watching a powerful video. This emotional reaction may propel you to take action right away, but that motivation is often short-lived. In contrast, on days when we feel tired or uninspired, our motivation tends to dip; our emotional state influences our willingness to take action.

Motivation can’t overcome a lack of discipline. No matter how motivated you are, without consistent discipline and habits, you’ll struggle to make meaningful progress. When motivation fades, discipline becomes the anchor that propels you forward. It’s easy to feel motivated when everything is going well, but it’s during the tough days—when things aren’t going your way or when the journey feels overwhelming—that discipline really counts.

The idea that motivation is a constant and reliable force can become a trap. When we’re constantly waiting for motivation to strike, we’re procrastinating and putting off the hard work that’s needed to accomplish our goals. The cycle goes something like this: we feel motivated, and we take action, but when motivation wanes, we stop. Then, we wait for motivation to return before we try again. This endless cycle can keep us stuck in a loop of inactivity. Rather than waiting for motivation to hit, the key is to take action regardless of how motivated you feel. Even if you don’t feel like doing something, pushing yourself to start can build momentum, which often reignites motivation. Waiting around for the perfect moment when you feel fully motivated is unrealistic. In fact, action often leads to more motivation rather than the other way around. That’s why one of the most popular pieces of advice is “work to the plan and not your mood.”

If you find yourself still relying on motivation (as it’s a hard habit to break), focus on intrinsic as external motivation is often short-term. External sources of motivation, such as inspirational quotes, books, or talks, can provide a temporary boost, but they rarely lead to lasting change; it is often too transient to be relied upon for long-term success. It might inspire you to take action at the moment, but when the motivational talk or video is over, that feeling tends to fade. True, lasting motivation comes from within. When you’re connected to your intrinsic desires your “why” behind your goals, the motivation to act will naturally arise, even when the external motivators aren’t available. Relying on external motivation alone can also make you dependent on things you can’t always control.

If you want to make lasting progress, focus on building strong habits. Habits don’t require motivation to work—they work because you’ve set up systems and routines that make action automatic. For example, if you’ve made exercising a part of your daily routine, you don’t need to feel motivated every time to show up at the gym. You simply do it because it’s part of your life.

Understand that motivation comes and goes, but by developing these systems that don’t rely on it, you can continue to make progress even on the days when motivation is nowhere to be found. Ultimately, the key to success isn’t chasing after motivation—it’s learning how to work without it.