How Authors Can Get (and Stay) Motivated: 8 Brain-Based Shifts That Actually Work
Fri Feb 06 2026
Motivation isn’t something you “lose.” It’s something you can engineer.
By January 20, statistically 43% of people who set New Year’s goals have already quit. And by February that number climbs toward 50%.
If you’ve felt your momentum slipping, you’re not broken. Your brain is just doing what brains do.
In this episode, you’ll learn 8 practical motivation shifts to help you stay consistent, follow through, and stop relying on “borrowed motivation” that collapses after a few weeks.
A big theme here: your brain is basically a chemical factory.
When you understand dopamine, rewards, identity, and environment, you can rewire your motivation to last.
What You’ll Learn (8 Motivation Shifts)
✅ Set goals as identity shifts
Stop asking “What do I want to achieve?” and start asking “Who do I want to become?”
✅ Keep your goals visible and repeated
Your brain acts on what it notices repeatedly, so build reminders into your environment.
✅ Tie motivation to immediate rewards
Don’t wait until the end. Celebrate milestones so your brain gets consistent dopamine wins.
✅ Fix your energy first
Low energy looks like low motivation. Sleep, nutrition, and exercise are motivation multipliers.
✅ Use people to raise your standards
Your environment shapes your defaults. Get around people with the standards you want to live up to.
✅ Design your environment to reduce friction
Your brain follows the path of least resistance. Make the “right” actions easy and automatic.
✅ Go deeper than goals: find your real WHY
If the “why” isn’t strong, you’ll drift. Clarify what happens if you do… and if you don’t.
✅ Build systems, not goals
Goals are outcomes. Systems are what make outcomes inevitable. Kill decision fatigue with routines.
If you’ve been waiting to “feel motivated again,” this flips the script.
You don’t wait for motivation. You build the conditions where motivation shows up on schedule.
Watch, pick the 1–2 shifts that hit hardest, and start engineering consistency this week.
CONNECT WITH US:
🌐 https://bestsellerpublishing.org/socials/
📞 1 (626) 765-9750
More
Motivation isn’t something you “lose.” It’s something you can engineer. By January 20, statistically 43% of people who set New Year’s goals have already quit. And by February that number climbs toward 50%. If you’ve felt your momentum slipping, you’re not broken. Your brain is just doing what brains do. In this episode, you’ll learn 8 practical motivation shifts to help you stay consistent, follow through, and stop relying on “borrowed motivation” that collapses after a few weeks. A big theme here: your brain is basically a chemical factory. When you understand dopamine, rewards, identity, and environment, you can rewire your motivation to last. What You’ll Learn (8 Motivation Shifts) ✅ Set goals as identity shifts Stop asking “What do I want to achieve?” and start asking “Who do I want to become?” ✅ Keep your goals visible and repeated Your brain acts on what it notices repeatedly, so build reminders into your environment. ✅ Tie motivation to immediate rewards Don’t wait until the end. Celebrate milestones so your brain gets consistent dopamine wins. ✅ Fix your energy first Low energy looks like low motivation. Sleep, nutrition, and exercise are motivation multipliers. ✅ Use people to raise your standards Your environment shapes your defaults. Get around people with the standards you want to live up to. ✅ Design your environment to reduce friction Your brain follows the path of least resistance. Make the “right” actions easy and automatic. ✅ Go deeper than goals: find your real WHY If the “why” isn’t strong, you’ll drift. Clarify what happens if you do… and if you don’t. ✅ Build systems, not goals Goals are outcomes. Systems are what make outcomes inevitable. Kill decision fatigue with routines. If you’ve been waiting to “feel motivated again,” this flips the script. You don’t wait for motivation. You build the conditions where motivation shows up on schedule. Watch, pick the 1–2 shifts that hit hardest, and start engineering consistency this week. CONNECT WITH US: 🌐 https://bestsellerpublishing.org/socials/ 📞 1 (626) 765-9750