Motivation Sucks!
Darryl Grauman
Technologist, Strategist, Board Member, Speaker, Author, Restauranteur, Advisor, Investor, Coach, Biohacker, Fitness fiend and Thought Leader. Taking Kiwi ingenuity global.
How many times have you heard: “I don’t have the motivation to...” whether it’s go to the gym, stick to a diet, finish a project or anything that requires someone to expend energy to get something done?
Often yes? And then there’s motivational speakers and social media motivators with their daily affirmations and motivational quips that you subscribe to in order to inspire you into action...these are money making businesses who’s net worth is directly proportionate to your lack of motivation.
Let me be blunt, I call bullshit on it all. All of them. Everyone wanting to motivate me or you!
Now, substitute the word motivation with the word DISCIPLINE! That’s right, read it like this...”I don’t have the discipline to get to the gym, to stick to that diet, to finish that project...”
Motivation is a cop-out for lack of discipline. Discipline exists when you do what you HAVE TO, before you do what you WANT TO do.
Discipline is what you have when you work towards an end result, when you’re tired after work and have the discipline to still get to the gym, when you see the donuts and have the discipline to decline because you know your health comes first.
Motivation is usually construed as an external force acting on you to inspire you to do something. Even self-motivation is a meaningless term for sitting on the couch waiting for something to happen to inspire you to move from inaction to action. The only thing that will get you off that couch into action is discipline, knowing something has to be done and doing it.
Why is motivation so popular?? Easy, it’s a fast and easy cop-out, an excuse relying on external influencers. Discipline, discipline is personal, it’s yours, it’s owned, it’s up to you and nobody else.
So the next time, before you tell someone you’re lacking motivation, substitute the word discipline and see how different the conversation goes.
Managed Service Operations Practice Lead / Principal Consultant
4 年Good article Darryl, well written, and very clearly a glimpse into who you are as a person, and how you approach life or in your case attack life ??) - at least for the 20 years the I’ve known you.... But I think maybe you’ve missed something about the absolute need for the co-existence of motivation and discipline, and although you’ve called bullshit on motivational speakers et al, Simon Sinek and his “Golden Circle” absolutely nail it... WHY? One of Scott Green’s favourite sayings is/was “Vision without execution is delusion.”, this DIRECTLY addresses the same two elements that you have in your article - WHAT and HOW... - the VISION is the WHAT - the EXECUTION is the HOW but it also INDIRECTLY addresses the vital element that you’ve assumed as a given, and which lives in Simek’s golden circle... - VISION is not only about WHAT the goal or outcome is, but also has a flavour of WHY the OUTCOME is important, and to whom... To use your example: If I’m not motivated to go to the gym, or follow a healthy diet, FOR which I understand WHAT to do, and HOW to do it, maybe I don’t understand WHY I need to DEVELOP the DISCIPLNE to achieve the goal or outcome? To be there, healthy, for my wife, partner, kids (if I had any) = MOTIVATION.??
Chair at Hemisphere Digital, Executive and Team Coach
5 年Yes definitely! Try motivating teenage kids and see how successful that is!
Chief Digital Technology Officer
5 年Completely agree
Commercial Director driving commercial value through strategic business development.
5 年Love it! Put that in your accountability pipe and smoke it!