The Truth About Motivation: Your Brain Is Working Against You.
Motivation - this elusive feeling we all chase.
Sometimes we have it. Often, we don't. And yet we spend days, weeks (whole lives?) waiting for it to strike.
Whether it’s starting a business, going for a run, writing that long-overdue article, or even just getting off the sofa, so many of us spend our time waiting for motivation to arrive like some kind of divine intervention.
We know the thing we’re avoiding is good for us. We want the outcome. We tell ourselves we care. And yet, when the moment comes to act, we hesitate. We distract ourselves with our phones, procrastinate with LinkedIn, or rationalise why tomorrow might be better.
This is one of the most common modern dilemmas: wanting to do something but being unable to make ourselves do it. It creates a mental tug-of-war, desire on one side, resistance on the other and leaves us stuck.
We often blame a lack of motivation, as though it’s a resource we’re waiting to be handed.
But what if motivation isn’t the thing we need to be chasing at all?
What is Motivation?
To understand this, let’s start with what motivation actually is. Motivation is a subjective internal state, often described as energy, drive, or determination.
In psychology, it’s generally considered the set of processes that initiate, direct, and sustain goal-directed behaviour. Early motivational theory by Hull (1943) defined it as behaviour driven to meet biological needs and ensure survival (1). Later these theories of motivation were expanded to include both goal-directed action, and an arousal/activation component which gives people the energy to carry out desired actions (2,3).
From an evolutionary standpoint, humans are motivated by two primary forces: the desire to move away from pain or danger, and the desire to move toward reward or pleasure. These drives are deeply ingrained in our neurobiology and were essential for survival (think escaping predators or seeking food). They are largely managed by the brain’s mesolimbic dopamine system, which reinforces behaviours that help us survive, feel good and maintain effort and engagement in tasks (4).
So Why Isn’t Motivation Working For Us?
But here’s where it gets interesting: we don’t need to force motivation to eat chocolate, check our phones, or binge-watch TV. Nor do we need it to run away from something threatening or uncomfortable. Those actions are effortless because they are either immediately rewarding or help us avoid pain. That’s what makes them intrinsically motivating (5).
The same can’t be said for most of the things we say to ourselves we “should” do, for example going to that exercise class, cleaning the house, starting that new project, or launching a side hustle. These behaviours don’t always offer immediate reward, and they often come with a degree of discomfort, uncertainty, or delayed gratification.
That’s where the challenge lies. Much of our struggle around motivation stems from trying to do things we’re not intrinsically driven to do, or worse trying to force ourselves to do things we’re afraid of. This is what’s known as extrinsic motivation, which is based on external goals or pressures, such as praise, approval, achievement, or social status. The pressure can come from others or even from ourself.
The concept of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is often misunderstood. Many people believe you can build intrinsic motivation by finding your “why.” But the truth is you can’t force intrinsic motivation for things that your brain doesn’t see as a genuine need.
These are the “I should” behaviours, and while they can be effective in the short term, they don’t always sustain us through effort, resistance, or discomfort especially when our internal needs don’t align.
So maybe the question isn’t “How do I find motivation?” but rather, “How do I override the brain’s natural pull toward comfort and inaction?”
Your Brain is Built for Comfort
The brain is constantly doing a cost-benefit analysis (6): how much effort, discomfort, or pain will this action involve, and what reward will I get from it?
In many modern situations, we’re being asked to exert high effort for rewards that are vague, distant, or socially constructed. We’re not running from tigers or chasing food, we’re pushing through 8-hour workdays, juggling mental load, or trying to create something meaningful without immediate feedback or reward. In these cases, our brain’s survival circuitry isn’t much help.
What this means is that motivation alone can’t be relied on. It’s too fickle, too dependent on circumstance. What we really need is discipline and more importantly, pain tolerance.
The ability to act in the absence of motivation. The willingness to sit with discomfort and still move forward. This isn’t about being hard on ourselves, it’s about acknowledging that doing hard things will never feel good in the moment but that’s not a reason to avoid them.
Fascinatedly, Shaolin monks have known this for centuries. Whilst their training routine might seem extreme to some, their first principle is that discipline leads to self-control. They have mastered the ability to tolerate tremendous amounts of pain by training themselves to be disciplined. Motivation doesn't even come into the equation.
What Marathon Training Taught me About Motivation
When I was training for a marathon, this became especially clear.
During training I didn’t wake up every day excited to run. I didn’t always have the energy. Even during the run my mind often told me to give up. What kept me going wasn’t motivation, it was the discipline to follow the plan, and the ability to tolerate the physical and mental discomfort that came with it.
I learnt that the training wasn’t just building stamina in my legs. I was strengthening my capacity to endure pain - sore muscles, bruised toes, long distances, bad weather, self-doubt. It was a complete masterclass in action over feeling.
This idea of action over feeling applies far beyond running. It shows up in our work, our relationships, our creative projects. Even staying focused on a boring task requires pain tolerance - the discomfort of not checking your phone, the unease of sitting still with your thoughts.
In these moments, achieving your goal doesn’t come from motivation. It comes from moving forward anyway.
Action before Motivation
Another lesson I learnt during my PhD that changed my whole outlook on motivation was...
"Action always comes before motivation."
This phrase changed my whole approach to my studies, work and then again guided me through marathon training years later.
And it’s true. The people who appear “highly motivated” are often just better at ignoring the discomfort and doing the thing anyway. Over time, the action becomes habit and the resistance softens.
The hardest step is the first one, this lack of drive then gets overridden by the flow state that follows. The flow state is a state of full task engagement, where we stop worrying about ourselves. It’s thought to be largely driven by the brain's locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system (7). This is about attention and engagement not feelings and reward pathways.
Don’t Think – Move
Waiting to feel ready will get you nowhere. But taking even a small step; writing one sentence, putting on your trainers, opening the laptop can create momentum. Once you’re in motion, things shift. The brain follows the body.
We often try to think and feel our way into motivation, but this doesn’t work. In fact, overthinking often reinforces inaction. Struggling with depression is an example of this, people tend to feel demotivated, ruminate more and act less, not because they don’t care, but because their mental energy is consumed by the self-referential loop in their brain governed by the default mode network (8,9). The most powerful way to break a rumination and the worry loop in your head is through movement and action.
Start with a Clear Direction
The first component of motivation is the direction you want to head in. So if you’re looking to build motivation (or more accurately, discipline), start with three questions:
What’s my goal or direction?
Do I realistically have the bandwidth for it right now?
What small action can I start taking now (today)?
The truth is, sometimes we genuinely don’t have the energy or time. And that’s okay. We don’t want to burn ourselves out. But sometimes we just need to stop debating with ourselves and take one simple action.
Build Momentum with Micro-Actions
The second component of motivation is having the energy to do it. Lifestyle changes can help massively (sleep better, eat better), but energy always fluctuates. The trick is not waiting for the energy to come. Taking easy, small and achievable actions makes all the difference.
A few practical things have helped me:
When I’m working, I put my phone in another room. Distraction, not laziness, is usually the real problem. If I’m really low on energy I start scrappy. Particularly with writing, I dump down a rough draft to come back to when I feel less tired.
When exercising, I keep it simple and focus on one sport/hobby at a time. One consistent habit is better than trying to do everything at once. For the last 6 months this was running. Now I'm focusing back in on my yoga practice. I also lay out my clothes the night before and focus on just stepping out the house/onto my mat.
When building a project or business, I focus only on my output in the beginning. I can’t control how people respond, but I can control writing one newsletter a week. Focusing on what you can control helps you tolerate the anxiety that comes with uncertainty and keeps you moving forward.
When tidying my space, I start with tidying just five items. That micro-action often leads to more. Once you get started, why stop?
Final Thought
Ultimately, the secret isn’t in some perfect productivity system or motivational hack. It’s building the skillset to move through discomfort. Taking small actions when your mind says “I don’t want to do this”. Holding focus when everything feels boring or uncertain. Picking yourself up again not because you feel inspired, but because you said you would.
Action before motivation.
Action over feeling.
I’m Dr Emily Clements, a neuroscientist, educator and yoga teacher. I've studied neuroscience for over 10 years, and for the past five I studied the brains of entrepreneurs to understand why some people pursue their passions while others hold back. Now my aim is to share practical, science-backed tools to help people gain more control over their mind, brain and body - to avoid burnout and create the life they want. Follow along or sign up for my newsletter to learn more.
References
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