Motivation = Mediocrity

If you’re feeling a little stuck and want some motivation in the form of a bit of a tough-love-y, swift kick to the booty, then today’s blog post is for you.

Motivational YouTube Videos?

I’ve been thinking lately about how I’ve fallen a bit out of my personal development game. You see, I’ve been a self improvement enthusiast since I was in high school. Over the years, I’ve tended to start my day with personal development via a few pages from a non-fiction book, a podcast listening sesh, a motivational YouTube video, or other inspirational piece of content.

And whilst my high vibe morning routine game is still going strong, I haven’t felt like I’ve been learning as much in terms of pure personal development.

So in 2025, I want to get more into my personal development roots via more non-fiction books primarily plus some motivational YouTube videos.

Yes, motivational YouTube videos! Because they *are* inspiring. You just don’t want to rely on them to make you follow through on your plans. More on that shortly!

This idea came to me during a morning journaling session a couple days ago. So as an action taker, I found an aligned YouTube video to watch the same day. 💪

Motivation = Mediocrity

breakfast plate + watching a Ted talk on my ipad
Nourishing my body, mind, and spirit by enjoying a healthy breakfast while I watch a motivational Ted talk on YouTube. Motivational videos are fun and do help. But only watching videos about being successful without taking *action* is like sitting in a row boat without actually rowing. You’re not going to go anywhere without action. 😉

I stumbled upon this gem by Evy Poumpouras – ​How to Succeed Without Confidence, Motivation, or Healing​.

In this Ted Talk, Evy (who is a total bada$$ by the way!) talks a lot about how successful people don’t wait for confidence, motivation, or healing to take action towards making their dreams happen.

The video has tons of gems for anyone wanting to get unstuck, but what jumped out at me was when she got to this point:

Motivation = Mediocrity

Text graphic says: Motivation = Mediocrity

In this part of the video, Evy talks about how people think they need to be motivated to do something. And then she also talked about how motivation is fleeting if it ever shows up at all.

She says, “If you wait to be motivated to do something in life, you will do the bare minimum.”

Inspirational quote on not waiting for motivation by Evy Poumpouras

If you wait to be motivated to do something in life, you will do the bare minimum.

~ Evy Poumpouras

Ouch.

Success Sans Motivation

I thought about how I’m seeing my own goals and dreams.

In the areas where I’m successful – it’s true – I don’t wait for motivation.

Workout set
I pulled myself out of a health rut after the madness of 2020. How? Waiting until I was motivated enough to go to the gym? No, in fact I was rarely actually motivated. I had to force myself to go so many times. But guess what? I kept showing up and I kept getting results! Action is where the magic happens!

For example:

  • I feel very fit these days.
  • Why?
  • Because I walk 8-10k steps a day and work out about 2-3 times a week on average.
  • I also take supplements, eat (generally) healthy, and see a sports doctor once a month for a full body tune up.

In truth, I’m not always motivated to do these things. But I do them because it’s who I choose to be.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to talk myself into going to the gym or braving the cold to take Bolt on a walk when I really want to stay snuggled with my cozy blanket on the couch. But I get my a$$ up!

Waiting for Motivation = Lack of Results

However one area of my life where I’m struggling these days is with content creation.

I’ve been having a tough time balancing my burnout and stress recovery with pushing myself to create content. I haven’t found the right balance yet. But I’ve definitely been leaning towards rest when it comes to my content work.

And you can see that in how my blog doesn’t have as many new posts as I’d like, how my social accounts don’t have as many new videos or carousels, and how my YouTube channel is still barely updated.

Whilst I do applaud myself for making space for rest since my natural inclination is to actually overwork myself (which is part of what got me into burnout, paired with a toxic work environment or two), I also want to be objective and see how this is leading me to not have the results I truly desire when it comes to content creation and The Chic Life.

Motivation Journal Prompts

Besides the general rest prioritization, ever since watching that video, I’ve been asking myself, “Am I waiting for motivation to create my content to the level, quality, and frequency that I truly desire?” Maybe.

I’m going to have to observe this more, but possibly yes! Which is really disappointing to admit.

But hey, awareness is often the first step to change.

There is some nuance here that I’ll have to manage closely. Under normal circumstances, it would be easy to say – Okay self, get to work NOW! But I do want to be mindful of my burnout recovery as I go.

And that’s great.

The thing I’m really going to be taking with me here is the check-in. When I I know I should be creating content, I will ask myself if I’m waiting to be motivated or if I truly need rest. And I think this is going to be a powerful exercise!

What about for you?

Try these motivation journal prompts:

  • Am I waiting on motivation to actually take action and steps towards my dreams?
  • How long have I already been waiting?
  • How much longer am I willing to stay stuck here?
Journal prompts on not waiting for motivation

Or you can try question format if you prefer to think on this or discuss with a loved one:

Are you waiting on motivation to actually take action and steps towards your dreams? How long have you already been waiting? How much longer are you willing to stay stuck here?

(Good questions to ask as a self check-in, whether you journal about them or not)

Check in with yourself and then decide what kind of life you truly want. And if you’re ready to get over a false dependency on fleeting motivation so you can get out there and make it happen!

Action Section

Tired of being stuck? Remember: Motivation = Mediocrity. Let’s make some action happen sans motivation!

  1. Pick one of your goals to focus on for this theme. Choose a SMART goal or one that has specific Actions outlined already. For example: I will work out 3 times a week.
  2. The next time you want to bail on your goal because you don’t feel “motivated”, remind yourself what Evy says: “Motivation = Mediocrity”. Remind yourself that motivation comes *after* action and that you can’t rely on motivation to complete your goals or you may be waiting forever.
  3. And take action on your goals motivation or not! 💪

Your future you will thank you for showing up for her!

Thank you for checking out my post on Motivation = Mediocrity. I’d love to know how this landed for you. Comment below to share your thoughts!

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PS: Motivational YouTube videos, books, and podcasts are great. Just don’t let yourself get caught up in only thinking and dreaming about your dreams. Make sure you’re doing the work and taking action. That’s where the real magic happens!

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