Don’t wait for motivation to start the work!
Most of us think (at least I did until very recently) that that motivation is the spark that makes us do things that are good for us. That is one of the reasons we procrastinate. We set a goal, we think about it, we plan it, and we wait until we feel motivated to start. After all, we want to be on the best mind set to ensure success, right? If we start when we are not in the right mood, we will probably fail, correct? Wrong… that is not the way it works. If we wait until we feel motivated, we may never start.
“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
– Pablo Picasso
After analyzing it, it seem that motivation doesn’t have to come first. In fact, it’s the other way around, motivation comes from seeing progress. Human beings are driven by seeing improvement, growth.
In his book “The Motivation Myth”, Jeff Haden lays out the myths surrounding motivation, and discusses what truly causes and maintains the motivation needed to succeed.
These are my key takeaways from the book:
- Motivation is the fire that starts burning after you manually, painfully, coax it into existence, and it feeds on the satisfaction of seeing yourself make progress.
- The key: Enjoy your small, seemingly minor successes
- Success is repeatable and predictable. It’s about doing the right things diligently, the right way, over and over.
- Motivation is the pride you take in the work you’ve done, fueling your willingness to do more.
- When you aren’t feeling motivated, do the easiest thing first and get it out of the way.
Even if you don’t feel like it, today take a small step towards that goal that is so hard that you don’t want to start. Force yourself. You are strong. As soon as you complete it, two things will happen:
- You will feel motivated to do more tomorrow
- You will realize that it was not as hard as you thought.
Which goal that you have been putting off will you start today?
