The 12 Most Motivating Words In The English Language Are Not The Ones People Always Quote
victorsaboya | Canva If a lack of desire to work out and the avoidance of healthy eating plague your everyday, you don’t need another diet plan, another fitness regime, or another green smoothie recipe. You need a vocabulary makeover. You need to look at your root beliefs, remove the ideas that are no longer serving you, and replace them with words and ideas that inspire, motivate, and change your behavior.
One of the best ways to do just that is to create a vision board. Grab a magazine and cut out any word or image that inspires you. Then paste it all on a canvas and hang it somewhere you’ll see it daily. Within 12 months of creating my first vision board, I’d reached every goal included on that canvas, and I began to embody the very words I saw every day.
Those words and images reminded me every day of my deepest priorities, brought them to the front of my brain, and drove me into essential action. Another simple way to do this is to create a morning mantra. Write down a vital goal and recite it daily.
Or even better: read through this list of 12 of the most motivating words in the English language and try to use every single one of them at least once daily. Adding them to your vocabulary will help you motivate yourself. Saying them aloud will help you embrace the meaning of each word, allow it to push you into action, and even inspire those around you.
Here are the 12 most motivating words in the English language:
1. Discover
Discover is defined as "the act or process of seeing, finding, or gaining knowledge of something previously unknown." It's that moment when you stumble onto something new that changes everything you thought you knew and opens up possibilities you never even imagined existed.
Think about how exciting it feels when you discover something for the first time, whether it's a new passion, a hidden talent, or just a different way of looking at the world. Discovery pushes you forward because it reminds you that there's always more to learn and experience, and that the best parts of your life might still be waiting just around the corner for you to find them.
2. Create
To create means to bring into existence. When you create, you're literally making something out of nothing and putting your own unique stamp on the world in a way that nobody else ever could.
The power of creation lies in the fact that you're not just consuming or copying what already exists but actually adding something new to the world. Whether you're creating art, building a business, or just making dinner for your family, you're exercising that incredible human ability to take raw materials and transform them into something meaningful that reflects who you are.
3. Energy
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Energy has several definitions. In physics, it refers to the usable power and the capacity for being active, but it can also mean "a positive spiritual force" or "dynamic quality."
When you have energy, you feel like you can take on anything because you're operating from a place of strength and vitality instead of depletion. That energized feeling is what drives you to actually do things rather than just think about them, and it's contagious in the best way because your energy inspires other people around you to step up their game too.
4. Triumph
To triumph means to obtain victory or prevail. It's that incredible feeling when you finally overcome something that seemed impossible and prove to yourself that you're way stronger than you ever thought you were.
The beauty of triumph is that it's not just about the win itself but about everything you had to go through to get there. Every triumph tells a story of struggle and perseverance, and those stories become the foundation of your confidence because they remind you that if you did it once, you can absolutely do it again.
5. Spirit
While spirit can refer to a supernatural entity or the incorporeal part of humans, as a verb, it means "to animate with fresh ardor or courage." It's about tapping into that inner fire that refuses to give up, no matter what life throws at you.
Your spirit is what carries you through when logic says you should quit and circumstances seem completely overwhelming. When someone talks about keeping their spirit up or not letting something break their spirit, they're referring to that unbreakable core inside them that remains hopeful and determined even when everything external suggests they should feel defeated.
6. Victory
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Achieving victory means achieving success in a struggle or endeavor against difficulty. Victory isn't just about winning easily but about fighting through challenges and coming out on top when the odds are totally stacked against you.
What makes victory so motivating is that it validates all the hard work and sacrifice you put in when nobody was watching or cheering you on. Each victory, whether big or small, proves that your effort matters and that persistence actually pays off, which makes you more willing to take on even bigger challenges in the future.
7. Happy
Happy is defined as "feeling pleasure and enjoyment because of your life, situation, etc." It's that deep satisfaction when everything just feels right, and you realize you're exactly where you're supposed to be doing exactly what you're supposed to do.
Happiness isn't just some fleeting emotion but a state of being that comes from living in alignment with your values and making choices that truly serve you. When you're genuinely happy, you show up differently in the world because you're operating from a place of fulfillment rather than trying to fill some void or prove something to other people.
8. Unforgettable
To be unforgettable means to be incapable of being forgotten. In other words, memorable. It's about making such an impact that people remember you and what you did long after you've left the room or moved on to something else.
Living an unforgettable life means choosing to be bold and authentic rather than playing it safe and blending in with everyone else. When you aim to create unforgettable moments and experiences, you're automatically pushing yourself to go bigger and take more risks because you know that the things worth remembering are rarely the ones where you held back.
9. Conquer
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To conquer means to overcome or acquire by force of arms. When you conquer something, you're not just beating it, but you're claiming total victory over whatever obstacle or challenge was holding you back from your goals.
The word conquer implies total domination and mastery over whatever you're facing, which is way more powerful than just getting by or surviving. When you set out to conquer something, whether it's a fear, a skill, or a massive goal, you're declaring that you won't stop until you've completely overcome it and made it submit to your will.
10. Fearless
To be fearless is to be free of fear or brave. Being fearless doesn't mean you never feel afraid, but that you refuse to let that fear stop you from doing what needs to be done.
Fearlessness is actually one of the most attractive qualities in a person because it signals that they're willing to take risks and go after what they want despite uncertainty. When you embrace being fearless, you unlock opportunities that other people miss simply because they were too scared to even try, and you build a life based on courage rather than comfort.
11. Grit
To have grit means to have unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger. It's that quality that keeps you pushing forward when everything in you wants to quit and everyone around you thinks you should give up.
Grit is what separates people who achieve extraordinary things from people who give up the moment things get difficult. When you have grit, you understand that setbacks and failures are just part of the process, so you don't let them derail you because you're committed to seeing things through, no matter how long it takes or how hard it gets.
12. Bold
Similarly, bold is defined as being "fearless before danger" or intrepid. When you're bold, you step out and do things that feel scary or uncertain because you know that playing it safe never leads to anything extraordinary.
Being bold is about making moves that other people think are crazy or too risky because you trust yourself enough to handle whatever consequences come from those decisions. Bold people don't wait for permission or perfect conditions, but they act on their convictions and create the life they want through decisive action rather than endless planning and preparation.
Yuri Elkaim is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and author of the NYTimes Best-selling book The All-Day Energy Diet.
