If you've ever found yourself "waiting" to get motivated to do something, perhaps after a long holiday or even a very relaxing weekend, read on. After vacations, holidays and sometimes for no reason at all, we find ourselves hoping for some "motivation fairy" to light on our shoulders, wave her magic wand and spark our dormant motivation to get us moving again.

Well I have met the motivation fairy, and the good news is, she's not far away! After a period of dormancy from regular routines, I'm often reminded of several powerful and necessary ingredients to motivation.

First, motivation is mainly an inside job--we have to find that spark within ourselves that gets us moving--but we don't have to wait for the spark to burst into full flame (or for the motivation fairy to arrive) to take the first step. In fact, very often it is simply moving--getting in action itself--that sparks the flame of motivation (and bids the motivation fairy to assist).

After one such dormant period recently, I was reminded that motivation is really about three parts action to one part emotion, and that the action almost always precedes the emotion we associate with motivation.

Interesting, if you look up the words "motivate" and "emote" in the dictionary they come from the same root word "movere" which means "to move." So if you're looking for that magic fairy dust to get you moving toward your goals, you'll find it in action. And the more consistently you act (regardless of the size of the action), the more your emotions will get on board to fuel the process.

This week as you seek to get moving, making the most of this week and all its unfulfilled potential, I encourage you to remember that the real secret to getting motivated is to get moving. If you've decided that this is the week to eat healthier, then eat an apple today. Do you have a goal of saving more money? If so, start today by opening a savings account or setting up an automatic savings deposit through your bank. Do you want to read more? Then set aside 10 minutes to read on your lunch hour everyday. Want to exercise more? Start by walking around the block and adding one minute a day to your routine. Then watch what happens as you take those consistent actions.

After I finished my exercise routine recently, while I couldn't say I was feeling euphoric, I was feeling much more excited about getting to work than I had while I was still "thinking about exercising" and hoping the motivation fairy would suddenly light on my shoulder and ignite my passion.

Here's a formula to remind you that the motivation fairy lives within: powerful goal+action+emotion=motivation! I'm wishing you an amazing week...one you start creating right now with your next action. What's it going to be?

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Quote of the Week
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"You don't have to be great to start. But you do have to start to be great." ~~Les Brown, author and motivational speaker