Motivation Is A Myth (What you really need instead)

A lot of my students ask me: "How do you stay motivated?" and statements from a lot of my friends saying: "I'm not motivated to do this or that". Well what if I told you that motivation is a myth and that you don't NEED to be motivated to get something done. It definitely helps to be motivated but it's just a feeling that makes you do an action.

Think of motivation as a middle man. Now whenever you have a task that needs completing e.g. Doing your homework or going to the gym. You know exactly what needs to be done, you know generally how long you're going to spend on it but then what stops you from completing the task is this "middle man". This middle man is your inner voice asking you "Do you feel like doing it? If not, then don't do it".

We all have this misconception that we NEED to FEEL like doing something in order to get something done when in actual fact that is completely wrong. For example, your dirty clothes needs to go to the laundry but you don't feel like washing it so you just leave it there hoping it'll be done. The problem doesn't go away or get any better over time. It just sits there until you ACTUALLY do it.

So what should we be doing instead?

If you ask any successful person on how they stay motivated, the answer and the keys to their success is always consistency and discipline. Being consistent and having the discipline to do what it takes to complete the boring, mundane and tedious tasks is what you really need and NOT motivation.

I've always love this image which I use to remind myself to never give up and just keep going. The moment you get stopped by the "middle man" is the moment you miss out on potential greatness.  

I believe that technology and social media has developed the concept of instant gratification. The idea that we should see results immediately or else we have failed and consequently give up. The concept of feeling good immediately or else we'll stop doing it. If you've ever worked out before or known anyone who has an amazing physique you will realise that it is all about being consistent and doing the boring tasks over and over again. This is commonly referred to as delayed gratification where you don't get that feeling of satisfaction until after consistently performing that task over a longer period of time.

One of my personal and favourite mindset mentor when it comes to "motivation" or "discipline" is Rob Dial. He is a leader in the business and personal growth space, he the Founder of MWFmotivation and has his own podcast called "The Mindset Mentor" and has over 3 million social media followers. He was able to become a successful podcaster through sheer determination and consistently uploading an episode every second day. It took him more than 100 episodes until he was able to gain a following and reach the level of success that he wanted. If you guys are also keen, you can check out his website (https://robdial.com/) where there are links to his Youtube, podcast and social media.

This is one of the most impactful things in my perspective that came from listening to his podcast. He defines:

Instant gratification = Easy now, hard later
Delayed gratification = Hard now, much easier later

I would love to know your thoughts on the topic of motivation and feel free to comment below on which one would you pick (instant vs delayed gratification)?

QOTB

“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.”
By Dwayne Johnson