Episode #103:

The Difference Between Commitment and Motivation

May 18, 2023

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Episode #103: The Difference Between Commitment and Motivation

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About the Episode:

Despite popular belief, you need very little motivation to get stuff done. If that sentence threw you for a loop, then you're going to want to check out this podcast episode. In this episode I break down what you actually need to achieve the goals you set, and why you can't always rely on motivation.

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This podcast is for all women, those that identify as leaders and those that don't, yet. You'll learn how to let go of guilt and self-doubt so you can show up with confidence everywhere you go. No more questioning if your idea is good enough to share, if it's worth it to speak up, or if you're a good enough leader. All that self-critical B.S. stops now. Listen in as masterful educator and Harvard grad physician, Dr. Vanessa Calderón, teaches you how to let go of the things standing in the way of your success as a leader. Get ready, this podcast will accelerate your personal and professional growth.

Dr. Vanessa Calderón, MD, MPP has over 20 years of leadership experience. She is a Harvard grad, ER physician, Life and Leadership coach, and a mother of 2. She's a first generation Latina and is dedicated to uplifting her community. She's the founder of the Latina Leadership Accelerator, where she uses education and coaching to support the personal and professional development of women at all stages of their lives and careers.

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103. The Difference Between Commitment and Motivation

Vanessa 00:00
Welcome to the Empowered brain, the only podcast using science, psychology and coaching to help you rewire your brain and create a life you love with your host, Dr. Vanessa Calderon, a Harvard grad physician, master coach, and mother of two.

What is up my friends Welcome back, we're talking about commitment versus motivation. Today, I'm choosing this topic because I keep seeing it come up over and over and over again, with my students that have things that they want to get off the ground. You know, for example, one of my students has this big grant proposal she wants to submit to fund a huge project. But she just can't seem to finish it. And I had another student that studying for this big exam, to elevate in her profession. She just can't get herself to sit down and study. And I was thinking, how does this show up for me when I want to get something done. And, you know, one of the things I feel like I was blessed with was self-discipline, I'm able to say, I'm going to do something, and then I go and do it. But I'm not perfect either. And there are times when I just don't want to do it.

For example, today is my podcast recording day. And I like to record in batches. And so I record a number of episodes at once. And when it was time for me to sit down, I was like, Uh, I really don't want to record so many how but if I just record one, and then I remembered Hold on a second. I said, I was going to record these four episodes, and I am committed to recording these episodes. So I'm going to sit and I'm going to do them. And that's what we're talking about today. Because there is a difference between commitment and motivation. Motivation is what I think most people think they need to get stuff done. Now, let's talk more about that.

Okay. Because if you recall, commitment and motivation are both examples of feelings. Now, let's take it way back to the cognitive thought model, which I've talked a lot about on this podcast, the cognitive thought model asserts that whatever circumstance in life for me, let's say, the real podcast recording day, it's going to cause me to think a song, I've got to get those podcasts done, which drives me to feel a feeling, the feeling could be committed, I'm super committed to getting those done. Or it could be if my thought was, instead, I don't want to record this podcast, my feeling could be dread. Whatever feeling you have, it's going to drive you to take a number of actions.

Commitment, for example, will drive me to sit down, get my butt in the chair, turn on my podcast, and recording software, and go for it. Dread, on the other hand, is going to cause me to get back into bed and back under my covers. And whatever actions you take, that is going to ultimately create your results in life. So when you are coming from an intentional thought, and an intentional feeling, today's my podcast recording day, I'm feeling committed, you will create intentional results in your life, and you get your podcast recorded. When you are coming from an unintentional thought and unintentional feeling. If I really don't want to record them, and feeling dread. You go back into your bed and you don't record your podcast, you've created unintentional results. So I'm talking about this today, because when I was talking to my students, specifically the one writing the grant, I said, Okay, well, what is it that you're thinking and feeling? And she said, I just need more motivation. I'm just not motivated. And here's what I want to say. If I were to ask you right now, what emotion What feeling do you think you need to lean into to achieve a goal you set? A lot of you may have thought of motivation before this podcast, motivation.

And motivation is awesome. And motivation feels good. Why? Because when you are motivated, you are coming from a part of your brain that is releasing feel-good hormones into your body. You are releasing those hormones, you feel good, you're almost on a high, and it feels awesome. But here's the thing with motivation. Motivation cannot be accessed all of the time. Motivation won't be accessed at six in the morning when it's time for you to get up to go for that run. Because you said you were going to go out and train for that half marathon. You can access motivation at that time. What you can always access and what's always available to you is commitment. Commitment will always be available to you, which is why commitment is so incredibly important. Understanding this process of committing is all in And then no matter what you lean back into commitment, that is what's going to drive you to achieve the things you say you want to do. Commitment.

So for my student who was so committed to finishing her grant, when we let go of all of the reasons why she wasn't doing it, and helped her come up with a thought, which is, you know, writing this grant is my jam, I'm just going to do it because I really want to feel this project, I'm committed to this project. That was it. That's all she needed, she needed that thought that she was committed to what she was funding to get that grant completed and done. So I want you right now, to take a second and think about when was a time that you needed to access either motivation, you thought it was motivation, or it was hard for you to get off your butt and get something done. Now, I want you to imagine what would be different if instead, you leaned into commitment, I'm just committed to I'm gonna get up and do it. Of course, I don't want to do it. Of course, I'm feeling blah, of course, I'm feeling apathetic. That's what happens. But even though I'm feeling all those things, I am 100% committed to the outcome. So I am getting up and I'm going to do it. That right there is your ticket to self-discipline. For those of you that are lacking a little self-discipline, that's your right there, that's your ticket being 100% committed to the outcome that you want to create, right to be friends. That's what I have for you today, leaning into commitment.

Remember, commitment will always be available to you, as opposed to motivation because those feel-good hormones aren't being released all the time. You know, they're not being released at six in the morning, when you've got to get up to go for that run. They're sometimes not being released in the middle of the day, when you're feeling kind of blah. It's not because something's wrong with you. It's because you're a human being. And sometimes we just don't have that extra motivation. Let that go. Let the idea of that go. And instead, lean into commitment. Commitment will always be by your side. Commitment is something you can access over and over again, the right to be friends and lean into commitment. Go out and do big things. Alright, I'll see you next week.

Hey, sweet friends, if you love what you're learning, then you've got to join us on the journey. It's my all-inclusive program and the best community out there giving you the education you never knew you needed to help you create a life you love. Join us at www.vanessacalderonmd.com/join. I'll see you there.