The Top 1% Simply do What The Other 99% Won't

Action leads to motivation.

Motivation does not (always) lead to action.

When motivation rules your decisions, you are one of the 99% who simply won’t. Chances you wait for the right moment, the right light, or the right frame of mind.

Writing a book is one of these things. Driven by the desire to share and educate, Thrive was more than just a tick off the many unchecked checkboxes I had accumulated. The list is constantly changing as I end another day in the chapter of me. I reflect on what has priority to catapult me further towards my future self.

Too many of us have a similar dream.

From penning down their memoirs to fictional masterpieces, the list of themes is never-ending. The satisfaction of taking that first step of a journey that may take a thousand miles is the catalyser to motivation. And if things do not get their way, acknowledge the fact we are not AI-driven.

Maybe that’s the beauty of being human; we let the obstacles on our way be a challenge on our own and do not let an outside database determine what’s right or wrong.

We learn we are not getting the solutions served as we watch a regenerative response pops up. We evolve as a human and absorb novel ways to attack the obstacle with zest and valour.?

99% of the people accept the first response as the final one. It does not work, therefore I quit. Or we copy/paste the solution from our computer. After all, perfection does not exist, and we do as little as possible to act on what we feel drives us.

One of my friends in Bangkok complimented me on merely the fact I completed the task. The tick on his must-do list was also to write a book. He admitted he failed three (!) times to get started because his drive to be engulfed by motivation was by far bigger than making time to get started. It is almost everything in life. We start with something and find those first steps the most challenging ones.

Too challenging for words…and quitting is next.

A former colleague has delved deep into the literature surrounding motivation. She, too, was keen to get something on paper, however never took action as she relied too much on motivation. Her endeavours to learn about the rules of motivation held her back and to date, she still seeks out that right time before she believes she is ready.

Results come when taking action, staying consistent, and holding ourselves accountable. The world we live in is a myriad of new ways to market, post on social media, and get to know the ins and outs of what exercise regime climbs up the chart. A brighter light with a more than the tempting solution is that wedge between getting things done or simply a seesaw from what tickles your pickle.

And it all revolves around your why.

The one percent that do, know their why. Irrespective of what is thrown at them, there simply is no turning back or deviation from their goal. But what sets those apart from the 99% who simply hopscotch from solution to solution is we know that progress is never linear and consistency is key.

Manipulating the variables is one thing, setting anchors and triggers to affirm your why is another one. For my writing, I had my computer set up in such a way, it connected me to my why more than when I sat in a coffee shop or stretched out on bed. I had time blocked off in my calendar to write.?

It was always 30 minutes.

However, when that pop-up message came up on my phone and I started, 30 minutes became 45 minutes, and quickly became one hour. Flow states emerged because action led to motivation, led to habit and led to discipline.

Writing Thrive has taught me is that motivation is fleeting. Action is the decisive factor of which 1% reap the benefits. Step into the arena, take that leap of faith, ignore the naysayers and take that step. Otherwise, you will be miserable for a long time once you have clearly defined your why.

I wrote this book not for profit but because I knew why I needed to do it. Therefore, all profits from my book "Thrive | A Personal Journey in Pivoting One's Life " will go to a good cause for children with mental and physical health challenges.?

It always seems impossible until it's done. | Nelson Mandela