The Motivation Myth

Motivation does not come from moments of inspiration.

Day-after-day motivation derives from completing the daily work your goal requires, not from flashes of inspiration. Daily work is enduring and inspiring, while a spark of inspiration is momentary and fleeting. Your confidence and motivation will grow as you create a list of the tasks you must do each day and work steadily to complete them. This positive combination is the road to reaching your goal; once it is part of your routine, it will appear in other parts of your life as well

“Motivation is a result, not a precondition.”

Find a process that supports your goal, and stick to it. You may think sharing your goal with friends will keep you on track, but research finds the opposite is true. When you talk to friends about hiking the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail, for example, it gives you a false sense that you’ve done it. This undermines your determination to actually hike the trail.

You may believe that others have greater innate willpower than you. But willpower is something you learn – no one is born with it. Successful people don’t need instant gratification, and don’t succumb to fear. They work consistently on their priorities. As you work on your daily tasks and improve your skills, you will see yourself gaining a higher level of accomplishment in your field thanks to the routine you set up months before. How you execute incremental jobs daily is now integral to who you are. At some point, willpower will no longer play a role.

Reaching your goal requires focusing on small steps.

The delta between where you are now and your goal can be huge. It’s daunting if you want to lose 40 pounds but in the first week you lose only one. The winning path is to have a process that helps you achieve your goal step by step. Whether you want to save $1 million or lose weight, concentrate on daily actions that help you succeed, not the overarching goal.

“Set a goal, use it as a target that helps you create a plan…and then…forget all about that goal.”

If you want to run a marathon, your first daily task is to run a mile. When you achieve that, you’ll feel good. That positivity will spur you to do it again tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. In two weeks, you may run five miles daily. Because you’ve run a mile each day, your improved ability will provide motivational boost. Defining a process and adhering to it improves your skill or ability, and that leads to success.

You choose your goal, but the goal defines the process.

You can choose your goal, but you can’t choose how you achieve it. To reach your goal, you have to do what it takes. If you want to run a marathon, search for a training plan online. You don’t know what is optimal, so on the basis of your fitness, select one of the plans that are among your top search results. Make sure your plan has clear daily targets. If not, define the tasks so you know the specific distance, or time and pace, you should master each day. Be clear about when you will start and complete your daily task.

To make time for a daily activity focused on working toward your goal, change your daily schedule. That could mean cutting down TV time or changing when you wake up. Transcribe your training plan on a calendar. Define your daily tasks, and integrate them into your new daily schedule to make sure your plan is feasible. Instead of maintaining a huge to-do list, turn your agenda into a “wish list” and select a few items to complete. When you finish them, select the next-priority tasks.

If you find that your initial daily schedule isn’t working, change it. Maybe you have to get up earlier or stay up later. Solve any scheduling issues, but don’t stop doing your daily tasks. Don’t modify your daily process until you have sufficient data. If, while you’re on your first run, you have to walk part of it, don’t worry. Don’t compare yourself to others. All you need to do is complete the task, whatever that takes. When you do, celebrate. If your body needs less recovery time, then don’t use all three days of recommended rest. You can’t know this initially. It will become apparent only after time and effort. Exercising in the morning can improve your mood, increase your energy and provide motivation for the day.

“Changing your behavior…is really hard.”

Creating such a habit means not skipping a workout. Language can help you keep your resolve. Instead of saying you “can’t” have dessert, say you “don’t” have dessert. Researchers found that 80% of participants with a health goal who told themselves, “I don’t miss my workouts,” didn’t. Only one in 10 of the “can’t” group achieved their goals. Saying you can’t do something implies you would have been able to do it if something else hadn’t happened. Using “don’t” defines you.

Having multiple talents is ideal.

Venus Williams is a world-class tennis player. She has been number-one in the world several times, and she has won Olympic gold four times. She’s also an entrepreneur, and she’s earning her master’s degree in interior architecture.

A common myth of success says you must concentrate on only one thing. When someone asks what you do, do you list your main job title or do you add other skills? People often believe – wrongly – that if you do more than one thing, it means you aren’t good at any of them. For example, Williams is active in all aspects of her company, EleVen. She even packs some orders. Like most successful people, Williams is a “serial achiever.” Figure out what you want. If need be, do it on the side, but it doesn’t need to be separate from your current job.

“None of us should be just one thing.”

To search out your next challenge, create a list of what you’d like to do. If you don’t accomplish the items on your list, which ones would affect you most if you’re unable to undertake or complete them? While they probably do not relate to your career, achieving these targets will create new relationships and improve how you feel about yourself. Individuals define success differently. The core factor, however, is whether you are happy. If you earn a lot of money, but aren’t happy, then redefine what success means to you.

Before committing to a goal, ask whether you are financially able to eat well, pay your bills and provide for your family. If not, then your first goal is to acknowledge how money matters to you and to create more. The second question is whether you are “fit and healthy.” That can carry many definitions, but ask if you are “comfortable with your body.” Prioritize self-care over self-actualization.

If your goal is to build a great network, don’t concentrate on the goal, but rather think about people you’d like to cultivate. Reach out to those who excel in areas that align to your business. Establish connections so people enjoy being in contact with you. The last element is to create a marker that tells you when you've achieved your goal. Make it specific. Define the amount of weight you want to lose or the amount of money you want to make.

An “Extreme Productivity Day” (EPD) can reset how you work.

If you have a 12-hour project to complete, use an Extreme Productivity Day (EPD) to accomplish it. First inform your family, co-workers and significant clients that you’ll be unavailable for the day. To increase positive pressure on yourself, tell them what you plan to do. Determine how many hours you intend to work. Commit to making the deadlines you set.

Break from your normal routine by starting early or working through the night. If you usually work with music, use it to motivate you later in the day. Don’t wait until you’re hungry or thirsty to eat or drink. Similarly, make sure you move around before getting stiff. Your goal is to keep working. If you stop before you finish the day’s project, you’re reinforcing the habit of quitting. When you stretch yourself, you change the limit of what you think you can do.

Apply the EPD philosophy to your week by outlining tasks on Sunday. Define time in your schedule to work on important jobs such as writing a proposal. Realistically define your work list and the time it will take to complete the tasks. If you know something requires 30 minutes, scheduling only that amount of time will improve your focus. Don’t multitask, because that divides your focus. Lunch is the only time when multitasking benefits you, if you can network with others while you eat.

Pay attention to how you use your time. Document it. Be aware of any nonproductive patterns. Use “edge time,” such as commuting or airport waiting time, to make calls or read articles. When you are with your family, commit to spending that time only with them. Check emails or make calls later. If you want to drink more water, line up bottles of water on your desk. Remove the choices of what to wear or eat in the morning by laying out your clothes and prepping breakfast the night before.

Don’t make excuses for doing less than your best. Determine your own standards, and don’t let comments or criticism sway you. If you’re fearful of something, move through it. That will help you gain the confidence you need. Optimize the way you think as you optimize your work. If you want to generate ideas, then work at that daily. Ask for help when you need it. Don’t ever stop. Keep working and striving. When you tie your work to accomplishing your goal, your willpower will grow stronger.

“If you want to succeed, you can’t make excuses.”

Determine your highest-priority task the night before, and start the next day with that job. Keep your goals visible. If you’re working to pay down a bank loan, tape a statement on your computer. If you worry you might skip your run in the morning, place your exercise clothes near your bed. The most important question you can ask when deciding to do something is whether it helps you achieve your goal. If it doesn’t, the answer is always “no.”

“Work your number,” whatever it may be.

If you know your ratio of calls to sales is 10:1, and you need, for example, five new clients a month, then call 50 potential clients. Use those calls to improve your sales pitch and increase the number of conversions you have with prospective clients. Whatever the result, your goal is clear. Achieve it. Working your number means repeating the hard work daily to accomplish your goals. Deconstruct your goal into workable daily activities. Adhering to the smaller daily goal assures you’ll reach the big one. You will improve, reducing time and effort needed as you work each day to hit your number.

“Successful people…approach learning in a consistent, systematic, results-focused way.”

Whatever your goal is, push yourself daily, and make the work matter to you. Have a reason for what you’re doing. For example, to improve your public speaking, seek out small, informal opportunities to speak. Make sure you get immediate feedback. If you’re preparing for an exam, answer a section of questions in a study guide, then check your answers. If your process becomes repetitive, change your pace, focus on a small portion of it or redefine how you analyze it.

Observe a “superstar in action.”

To succeed at your goal, emulate someone who’s already achieved it. Avoid self-defined restrictions. You may stop when you’re tired instead of continuing, or quit when you feel that you’ve reached your skill limit and aren’t improving quickly anymore. Don’t do either. To expand your limits, watch a superstar in action. Whether the person is a musician, speaker or business leader, open yourself to learning from a master’s incredible talents.

Create free time by streamlining your work.

Beware of new situations that don’t fit your goals. Your time may be stretched, but re-evaluating your current work can enable you to create more free time. Your actions condition those around you. If you let people interrupt your phone calls, they’ll keep doing it. For example, one businessman created an “emergency” email account to funnel issues that need immediate action. He checks his normal account only twice a day. His staff knows and respects this.

“Almost every decision you currently make can be taken over by people you trust.”

If you have a customer who demands a lot of time without providing an equivalent income stream, adjust the service you provide, increase the cost or remove that customer. Instead of keeping a huge to-do list, turn it into a “wish list” and select a few items off it to complete. When those are done, select tasks that fit the next level of priority tasks. If you have to sign off on various steps of a project or file reports, see if you could you allow someone else to do it, especially someone more primary to the process.

To delegate decision-making, teach those you designate and give them guidance. Sharing authority will enhance their connection to their work and free your time. Even when things go wrong, maintain your focus and confidence. Remember, good leaders remain good leaders, even when they have bad days.

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About the Author

Jeff Haden, a contributing editor at Inc. magazine, is a keynote speaker and ghostwriter of numerous books.