How to (re)Ignite Your Inner Drive

Losing your drive has a big cost. Everything feels harder, takes more effort, and you get less done. How can you turn it around, get better results, and make the process feel more effortless?

That's what I'm covering today.

My Promise

In this article, you’ll discover:

• A core principle behind why we struggle to follow through on our goals.
• Three simple steps to build momentum and start achieving your potential.
• Real-life examples and practical tips to flip the script on holding yourself back.

What Holds Us Back?

Almost everyone who reaches out to me feels frustrated. They’re driven, results-oriented professionals, leaders, and business owners. But they often share a common struggle: following through on their goals.

They make decisions and set goals, but their actions don’t align with them.

What's holding them back?

Something I've seen over and over is this: because they’ve trained themselves not to follow through.

The Reverse-Snowball Principle

When we set a goal, it’s like writing a mental contract and signing it.

But we often break this agreement with ourselves (more than we realize). This breaks our trust in our ability to follow through for ourselves.

It has the opposive of the snowball effect. It breaks momentum. And makes it harder to keep going.

Often it feels like having to restart, sometimes from scratch.

Here’s a personal example:

I used to wake up early, exercise, meditate, and start my day with goals.

But one morning, I hit snooze because I felt sick. This happened again and again... until one day I realized my routine had completely fallen apart.

Why?

Because I rewarded myself for ignoring my goals by sleeping in (reward for hitting snooze) and watching TV (reward for not exercising, meditating, or setting goals).

It wasn't until I realized I was rewarding myself for breaking my promise that I understood why I struggled so hard.

And realized how to reverse the process.

Three Steps to Break the Cycle

1. Get Honest with Yourself. Acknowledge that you’re breaking agreements with yourself and rewarding avoidance. Admit that this makes every action toward your goals seem harder. Realize that avoiding your goals feels rewarding because it offers immediate comfort, even if it delays long-term success.
2. Lead with Intention and Effort. Identify how you reward avoiding or breaking your self-agreement. Then flip it. Punish avoidance and reward goal-oriented action. For instance, if you follow your diet for six days, reward yourself with a treat. If you wake up without hitting snooze, allow yourself ten minutes of enjoyable reading. This way, you build a habit of associating effort with positive outcomes.
3. Measure Carefully. Small is how you start, how you increment up, and how you conquer. Make goals simple and effortless at first. So focus on small, manageable actions that you can consistently achieve. Track your progress meticulously and celebrate small wins. It creates a sense of accomplishment that builds momentum. And momentum creates motivation.

All skyscrapers are built on solid foundations. Which included all the small parts working together in tandem. Even concrete is just made of lots of tiny bits (gravel, sand, cement) that hold strong together.

Skyscrapers don't use incredibly novel materials. They're not all made from space-age metals. They just put together the same materials with a different intention.

Scale is often just intentionally putting the same small and simple parts together with a bigger vision.

Behemoth businesses are the same. They're built on the back of doing the basics, at scale.

And when they fail to do the basics, the whole thing shakes.

Real-Life Framework

Here’s a framework to break down actions and build up momentum:

• Trade Up with Small Steps: Begin by making tiny, manageable changes. Replace one unhealthy meal with a healthier option. Get up without hitting snooze just once. Focus on a small, short task you’ve been avoiding. Use small victories to build confidence and momentum.
• Repetition: Consistency is key. Track how many days in a row you accomplish your small tasks. Bundle related actions together to create a routine. For example, link your morning coffee with a ten-minute meditation. Repetition solidifies these actions into habits.
• Growth: Measure your improvement over time. Compare your actions weekly or monthly. Look for increases in productivity, restfulness, or healthy habits. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small. Growth is about the steady accumulation of small wins leading to significant change.

Conclusion

Struggling to take action towards goals often comes from rewarding avoidance and mistrusting our ability to follow through. To break this cycle:

1. Be honest with yourself.
2. Pour effort and intention into changing your reward system.
3. Start small and measure your way up, action by action.

Take the time to deconstruct how you’re getting in your own way.

Make a step-by-step plan to turn it around and get back to smashing your goals.

Ready to break the cycle and fulfill your potential? Let’s make it happen!