Lack of Motivation Isn't Your Problem: The Biggest Misconception in Personal Growth

You got to find some sources of motivation.

Where is your motivation?

You're not going to achieve the goals you have without motivation.

Well, my friend, that is where we are wrong.

And that is why today we are addressing one of the most screwed up things in the world of personal development.

And that is the comparison between inspiration and motivation.

Now, the truth is they're both necessary.

But where the problem comes into play is that people oftentimes screw up the order.

Yeah, there is a specific order in which you use inspiration and motivation to your advantage.

You screw up that order, well, then you set yourself up for failure.

You set yourself up for probably like last year, like the year prior, where you have big dreams, big goals, big ideas, New Year's resolutions.

And then by the end of January, you've already fell off the boat.

Because you've been led down the wrong path by screwing up the order in which you use inspiration and motivation to your advantage.

So, my friend, if you are ready to make this year the year that it can be, well, today is the episode that's going to get you there.

This, my friend, is episode 429 of Grit Grace and Inspiration.

I am your host, Kevin Lowe.

And my friend, if it's your first time joining me, well, first and foremost, welcome to the podcast.

It's a pleasure to have you here.

And in case you are new, well, then I would love to let you know that this podcast is here to serve you.

My whole mission is to use what I've gone through, what my guests have gone through, to hopefully be a benefit to you.

Now, my guests, they have all different kinds of stories, all different things that they've overcome.

You're going to meet many of them soon enough.

But for myself, it comes back to my story of back in 2003, waking from a life-saving brain surgery to unexpectedly be left completely blind.

My entire life was shattered, so I thought, until I finally figured out how to pick up the pieces, not to rebuild what was, but rather to build something new.

And in that something new, I developed a mission in life.

And that is to use what I've gone through to inspire the world, and that includes you, to never give up on life, even when it may feel like life is giving up on you.

There is no time that this is more relevant than the start of a fresh new year.

We all put so much weight, so much hope, so much anticipation into this new year, the turn of a calendar.

And we get our hopes up.

But I believe that's for a good thing because I think we all need something to look forward to.

We all need a fresh start in life.

It's honestly why I love the morning so much.

It's because every morning when the sun rises, it's literally a signal that a new day has begun, a fresh new start.

What was yesterday is gone.

It's all about what lies ahead.

And so right now, here we are in the midst of January, start of 2026, and you're ready to dive forward.

You're ready to get moving.

And all you know is what you've been told is that you got to get motivated.

You got to stay motivated, you got to find the motivation.

Well, baby, motivation is a piece of it, but that is the wrong place to start.

Where you need to start is inspiration.

Yes, my friend, inspiration is where it's at.

And we're gonna dive into exactly what I'm talking about, how this works, but I do want to let you know that if you want an awesome free resource to help you along this journey that you're on, please be sure to check out the first link you see inside of the episode description, where I have left a link to my free grit, grace, and inspiration life guide.

It's literally a super cool guide to help you with whatever you're going through in life, whatever things you're dealing with, what challenges you're facing.

I have passed episodes of this podcast that address it and are there to help you.

So think of it like an old school TV guide where you can scan it, choose what looks good, leave the rest for another day.

But it's for your own personal growth and development, your own inspiration and motivation.

So again, check out the link inside of today's show notes for the great Grace and Inspiration Life Guide.

So to really dive into this topic, let's talk about what typically happens at the start of a new year.

January arrives and you want change.

You want growth, you want something different than last year.

Yeah, me too.

So what do you do?

Well, you wait to feel motivated.

But what happens?

Motivation, it's not showing up.

Maybe it does show up, but it's briefly.

It certainly doesn't last long.

And so then, of course, the negative self-talk begins.

Why can't I stick with anything?

Why can't I do what I want?

Why am I not able to follow through on my goals, on my dreams?

What is wrong with me?

But my friend, there's nothing wrong with you.

You've done nothing wrong.

There's nothing that makes you less than.

No, it's just the simple fact that you've started in the wrong place.

You've started by trying to find motivation.

When the place you need to start is by finding inspiration.

Inspiration, that is what sparks movement.

Inspiration is what sparks change in our life.

Think of inspiration as the spark, the curiosity, the pull towards something that you want.

It's the quiet voice inside that says, Oh man, I want this.

Basically, if you want to use a really good example, think of inspiration as the spark plug.

It's the thing that sends that little spark that ignites with the fuel, that lights it all on fire, that gets the engine cranking.

That is inspiration.

It is literally the spark that you need to get everything kicked into gear.

And nothing happens.

Your car doesn't move forward.

You don't get to work on time if the spark doesn't happen.

It's the same thing in your life.

You are not going to get anywhere if you fail to be inspired first.

So here at the beginning of the year, or at any point in your life when you are ready for a change, you need something that lights you up, that gets you excited, that fires you up, and that has you ready to start pursuing it, to start putting in the work.

That is exactly where last week's episode comes into play, where I talked about ditching New Year's resolutions and instead creating your big dream list.

Yes, that is a perfect example of finding inspiration.

It's the things that are big, that are exciting, that light you up, that spark that fire inside of you that gets you excited about moving forward.

So now here's where people fail is because if they focus on inspiration alone, they're not going to make it.

Because you can't let inspiration be the only thing that carries you forward.

Inspiration is the spark.

It's the thing that gets everything going, but it's not the thing that's going to sustain you.

It's not the thing that's going to continue driving you forward when the times get tough.

And that is exactly where finally motivation comes into play.

Because if inspiration is the spark, motivation is the fuel that you have to use to fill up the tank, to keep you moving forward.

Because when the road gets long, when the travel gets weary, when you're tired and you feel like quitting, my friend, that's when motivation comes into play.

Again, think about it in the car analogy.

You don't fuel a car that's just remaining parked.

No, you fuel up a car that's been moving.

You had to drive to the gas station.

You got places to go.

It's why you need gas in the first place.

That is the motivation.

And so the powerful thing that I want you to grasp here is that motivation is what shows up after you get moving.

You have to get started in order for motivation to show up, for motivation to take hold.

When you try to get started with motivation alone, it's just not there because you have to have that spark that starts it all.

Motivation is then just going to fuel the journey as you go.

But I want you to understand, again, just trying to hit home is that when you try to motivate yourself before you're actually inspired, you end up just forcing everything.

You're going to push, you're going to grind, you're going to do the hard work, but eventually you're going to quit.

You're going to run out of steam.

And it's not because you're weak, it's not because you are lacking something, but rather because you didn't have a why.

Inspiration is the answer to why.

Inspiration is the answer why.

Motivation, it answers how.

And in order for you to have the life you want, you have to have both.

You have to have the why and you have to have the how to make it all come true.

They truly work hand in hand, but again, only when used in the correct order.

So right now, here we are, the start of a new year.

We're in January.

And again, if you're listening to this later on in the year, my friend, January, March, June, July, it doesn't matter.

When you're ready to start something new, this is relevant for you.

I want you to realize that right now, it's not a time to immediately start grinding harder, to immediately start going into action mode.

January, the start of something new, it's about lighting the fire.

And so I want you, again, I reference back to our previous episode about dreaming.

That is literally the perfect place for you to begin to understand what inspires you.

Because I want you to get clear on what is it that inspires you?

What do you want?

When you can figure out what you want out of life, what you truly want and why you want it.

Well, my friend, there's your inspiration.

Yeah, you say you want to get fit and get in shape, but why do you want to get fit and get in shape?

You say that you want a new job, but why do you want a new job?

What is that gonna do for you?

That is the deeper level that we're going for.

It's that is the thing that's gonna fuel us forward.

That is the thing that's gonna spark everything.

And then as you start moving towards achieving that goal, getting that dream, motivation builds.

As you progress, as you keep going, then you can start to build the motivation.

Then you can seek out sources of motivation.

And my goodness, my friend, look at this podcast.

Episodes I have coming up, episodes I've done in the past.

Look at any of the past interviews I've done, and you will find motivation simply by listening to other people who've already done it.

I have now over 400 episodes of this podcast.

This May will be six years that I've been doing this podcast.

There are plenty of examples of people who have overcome, people who have done the thing that will surely motivate you.

But again, you first have to start with something that inspires you so that you have that deeper level of why driving you forward.

So, my friend, I want to wrap up today by simply reminding you of this basic idea.

Inspiration, it starts the engine.

Motivation keeps you moving.

It is the fuel you need to continue on the race.

But first, you got to turn the key, you gotta press the gas, you gotta put the car into gear.

Then, once we get moving forward, once we get you on the highway, we can then work on fueling up the tank to keep you going forward.

So, again, I don't want you to start shaming yourself because you don't feel motivated.

Instead, I want you to forget all about motivation, and I want you to focus on inspiration.

If you need ideas for how to get inspired, well, my friend, look at this podcast.

Check out other podcasts in the same category.

Find people who have been there, things that they've done that you want to do, or maybe go old school, find a book, find a magazine.

If they still make printed magazines, well, maybe go grab one.

Find anything that might stand a chance at getting you excited about life again.

That is where inspiration comes into play.

And again, I'm gonna reference our previous episode because it just lends its hand perfectly to this conversation.

Go back and listen to the previous episode where I talk all about dreaming big.

It's better than New Year's resolutions, it's better than goals, it's dreaming big dreams for your life, which are the perfect source for the inspiration you need to get you moving forward.

And then at that point, we can start working on the motivation.

My friend, I'm your host, Kevin Lowe, and this was another episode of Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

Last little note if there is somebody in your life who you feel needs to hear what I just told you, well, please be sure to share today's episode with them.

It would mean the world to me, and hopefully it will mean the world to them.

Until next time, just get out there and get inspired, and we will work on motivation as we get going.