Why Motivation Is Bullshit (But Momentum Isn’t)

The first push is always the hardest. After that, it's just physics.

Motivation is bullshit. So why are we always waiting for it before we do the things we actually want to do? The truth is, our brains don’t deal out motivation before effort — they hand it out after it.

The Tutorial Trap

I’m a creative person. I have this overwhelming urge to put nice things out into the world for other people to enjoy — so why the fuck do I have such a hard time actually doing it?! I’ve spent more hours than I’d like to admit watching tutorial videos on all the things I want to be doing: drawing, painting, photography, making YouTube videos... you get the picture. I’ve spent way more time watching these bloody videos than actually doing any of the things they were trying to teach me. Motivation is like that friend who promises to help you move house, then leaves you up shit creek on the day.

“Motivation is bullshit because it’s asking the wrong question.”

The Identity Shift

When it comes to things I don’t do (but wish I did), I have to use myself as the example. For ages I wanted to do either yoga or Pilates — I wanted to be fit. I’d tried on and off for years, never managing to stick it out for more than a few weeks. But something changed at the start of 2024. I was absolutely determined to carry on, despite it being painful and, at the time, boring as hell. I gave myself a proper talking to — I knew I needed to do something about my chronic health issues before it was too late.

So I forced myself, every day, to do the thing. I kept thinking about the future me who was strong and healthy instead of a complete physical wreck. After a few weeks, I started to see progress. I learned the routine, no longer needed the YouTube tutorial, and started listening to audiobooks while working out. My back stopped hurting as much. I got stronger and fitter. I made other healthy lifestyle changes too — ones I was actually motivated to do, because I’d already started.

Now, it feels terrible if I can’t do my Pilates. I make sure I do it every single day, even if it means getting up earlier when I’ve got a busy one ahead. The only times I’ve missed in the last 22 months were when I was sick with Covid and norovirus — which I think I can be forgiven for.

It wasn’t just about showing up every day. It was about creating a routine — building a habit that eventually became part of who I am. I stopped being someone who had to force herself to do Pilates and became someone who does Pilates. There’s a big difference.

I wasn’t motivated by the act itself. I was motivated by picturing the kind of person I wanted to be — someone healthy, someone strong, someone who shows up for herself. And somewhere along the way, it stopped being a battle and just became… me. That’s what motivation could never do — it can get you started maybe, but it can’t rebuild your identity.

“Motivation might light the first match, but it’s repetition that rewires who you are.”

What Your Brain Is Actually Doing

Psychologists call this self-perception theory — basically, we decide who we are by watching what we do. When I kept showing up for Pilates every day, my brain eventually caught up and went, “Oh, I guess I’m that kind of person now.” Motivation might have got me through the first few sessions, but repetition is what rewired how I saw myself.

And here’s the fun part — the neuroscience backs this up too. Dopamine, the so-called “motivation chemical”, doesn’t show up before you act. It shows up after. Your brain releases it as a reward for actually doing the thing, not for just thinking about doing it. So sitting around waiting for motivation is like waiting for applause before you’ve even gone on stage.

“Momentum doesn’t care how you feel — it just cares that you started, and that you didn’t stop.”

That's momentum. Not the fake energy burst you get from a motivational video, but the real physics kind — an object in motion stays in motion. Once you've started moving, it takes less effort to keep going than it did to begin. Miss a day and you're starting from scratch, fighting inertia all over again. But show up consistently, and eventually you're not pushing anymore — you're just… rolling. And if you do break the chain? Don't spiral. Just start again. The first push is always the hardest, but at least you know what rolling feels like now.

Back To The Drawing Board

So what does this mean for me and my creative paralysis? For all those hours watching drawing tutorials instead of actually drawing? It means I've been waiting for permission that's never coming. I've been sitting around waiting for inspiration to strike — but inspiration works just like motivation. It shows up after you start, not before. The solution isn't complicated: pick up the damn pencil. Film thirty seconds of shit footage. Write one shit sentence. Because "shit but done" beats "perfect but imaginary" every single time.

“You don’t become a creative person by waiting to feel creative. You become one by creating.”

Motivation is bullshit because it's asking the wrong question. It asks "do I feel like doing this?" when the real question is "who do I want to be?"

You don't become a creative person by waiting to feel creative. You become one by creating. Badly at first, probably. But consistently. So pick up the pencil. Roll out the mat. Hit record. Do it before you feel ready, and keep doing it until you become the kind of person who just... does. That's not motivation. That's momentum. And momentum doesn't care how you feel — it just cares that you started, and that you didn't stop.