Your fear motivation doesn’t make sense anymore; and if you don’t replace it with a different “why,” you can start to be too content with where you are.

When your motivation comes from fear, it's not as effective. That's why choosing to let go of fear and be inspired by love instead can help you lern how to stay motivated and reach your goals.

Tony Gwynn used fear as motivation. Tom Friend. Jun 16, 2014, 05:25 PM ET. Email; Print; SAN DIEGO -- In late April, I surprised him at the hospital. He was in a wheelchair. His hair was fully gray.

If building motivation is your goal, then you want to remove as many barriers as you can. Vague plans like: “I’m going to get a job,” will often leave you stranded.

Even though speaking on the floor for the first time can be "scary," Ocasio-Cortez said, she overcame her fear by treating it as motivation instead of a deterrent.