This is a question I get asked all the time, “Daniel how in the world do you stay so motivated?”
To which I sarcastically reply, “It’s all in the tea!” A sort of shameless promo for my tea company if you will. (tea-he)
But seriously, this is a question that many people want an answer to or at least a refreshing perspective about. How do high achievers, successful people and “go-getters” keep.. well… going?
Hopefully this short article will help shed some light on: How you can stay motivated and achieve the best possible results in ANYTHING.
Before we take a crack at demystifying the motivation booster pill, let’s examine what motivation even means. Motivation is derived from the word ‘motive,’ it’s the driving reason(s) for one’s behaviours or actions. Ok cool, so what are some of the things that drive us? Instead of me compiling an eternal list (as the answers to this can vary) here are a few common things in life that drive us.
Recognition
Money
Success
Fear
Love
Social impact
Power
Fame
Passion
and the list goes on.
If we’re all driven by something, then why are some people more motivated to achieve than others?
in my humble opinion, the answer to this question can be found in the difference between goals and habits. Some people set goals and others create habits.
You may be wondering is there a right one and a wrong one? Not really, but the difference between setting goals and creating habits does seem to give good evidence as to why a person is able to BE motivated rather than temporarily GET motivated. Keep reading.
Goals - The end to which effort is directed.
Habits - Regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.
Take a close look at the definition of these two words: Goals and Habits. Do you notice the underlined words I highlighted? Goals are defined as the end of effort. it’s done, you accomplished the task and your effort can take a rest. Goal achieved.
On the contrary, habits are defined as a regular tendency or practice. This suggests that there is continuity to a specific set of actions. You’re always doing this, in fact it’s hard not to.
Author of Atomic Habits, James Clear said it best when he said, “When our motivation is driven by accomplishing a goal, then we are only motivated for the moment.”
Aha! I think we may have cracked the code!
The reason why some people are more motivated than others is because the average person sets goals and is therefore only motivated while they work to accomplish said goal. Once the goal has been achieved, in theory there is no longer any reason to be motivated. Think about the kind of work ethic you can expect from a person who breaks their work day into goals.
Clock in and put on uniform, done.
Reach out to five prospects, done.
Follow up with logistics company, done. in between these tasks there is far too many opportunities to lose momentum and find yourself in a lull until you hopefully ‘re-motivate’ yourself to take on the next task.
On the other hand, motivated people seem to be those who are always creating good habits. A motivated person might say within themselves, “Today i want to continue to add more value to the company I work for.” To do this, they’ll need to arrive at work on time, be in the appropriate uniform, reach out to as many prospects as they can in the time that they’re given and pace their time out in order to follow up with the logistics company. The motivated person is in a constant trend of working effectively in order to be more valuable to the company. This kind of work ethic or “goal oriented thinking” is more inclusive and will result in beneficial tendencies for that particular person. In other words, it’s not just about what they do, it’s more about who they’re becoming in the process of what they do.
The average person cleans their room. The motivated person practices clean habits. Clean habits will ensure that not only their room is clean, but their hands, their car and their clothing as well.
I’ll conclude my theory by restating that people who set goals are typically less motivated than those who create habits… and why? Because life is less about what you’re doing and more about who you’re becoming.
Good luck beautiful people, keep doing awesome!
Love you all,
Daniel
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