Values Don’t Need Motivation

There is a particular moment that crops up for many people in January.

You look at the list you made, the intentions you set, or the vague sense of how this year was meant to begin, and you feel nothing. No spark. No drive. Just a quiet resistance and a strong pull towards staying exactly where you are.

It is often at this point that people decide something has gone wrong.

We are taught to believe that motivation is the engine of change. That once we feel motivated enough, everything else will follow. In practice, motivation is unreliable, short lived, and deeply affected by sleep, stress, weather and whether the day has already taken too much from us.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, takes a different approach. It does not ask whether you feel motivated. It asks whether you are willing.

Values do not depend on motivation. They are available even when you feel flat, anxious or fed up. You can act with care without feeling inspired. You can be honest without feeling confident. You can move in a meaningful direction even while wishing you were somewhere else entirely.

Research within ACT shows that psychological wellbeing improves when people take small actions aligned with what matters to them, regardless of whether motivation is present. Waiting to feel ready often keeps people stuck, especially in January, when low energy is a reasonable response to winter rather than a personal failure.

Values offer a way through this. They lower the bar from feeling ready to being willing. Willing to take one small step. Willing to show up imperfectly. Willing to act in line with what matters even when your mood is not cooperating.

This is where pacing becomes important. Values based action does not mean doing more. It means doing what you can, at the pace your life allows. A short walk still counts. One honest email still counts. One kind decision still counts.

Motivation may or may not follow. That is not the point.

If January has left you feeling unmotivated, you are not broken. You are human. Values do not ask you to feel different before you begin. They invite you to begin where you are.

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Dr. Richard Pomfret

About the Author

Dr. Richard Pomfret is a HCPC-registered Counselling Psychologist and founder of Therapy On The Hill. He works with adults experiencing a range of emotional and psychological difficulties, offering evidence-based therapy in a compassionate and collaborative way.

Contact

If you’d like to learn more about therapy or enquire about working together, you can contact Richard at:

richard@therapyonthehill.com
www.therapyonthehill.com

Important Note

The content of this blog is for information and reflection only and is not a substitute for professional psychological assessment or therapy.

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