Motivation is an elusive beast.
She appears out of thin air, dazzles us with her brilliance and vanishes before we’ve even had a chance to get to know her.
Though like any wonderous creation, she can be tamed.
But, only by finding the right bait, learning how she moves and speaking her language will she be the well of inspiration you’re looking for.
To do so means reframing motivation.
Seeing it not as a pre-condition to getting going, but as a reward for overcoming the hardest part of any endeavour - that being starting.
For it is only once you’ve revved the engine of motivation and shifted out of first gear will the wheels start to really turn. It’s the feedback we hear from the tyres hitting the tarmac, not mental image of driving 0-60 in 3 seconds that actually gets us going.
This means looking for our Flow State at the intersection of passion, focus and alignment to continue doing the activities we intend to do.
As someone who has dragged themselves through 9 years of training as a runner then triathlete, been self-employed since I was 18 and brings their full self to everything they do, I’ve discovered a thing or two about preserving the energy to keep going.
So, here’s the guide to mastering motivation.
#1: Discover Your Why 🎯
“Working hard for something we don't care about is called stress: Working hard for something we love is called passion.” - Simon Sinek
You can drag yourself through the mundane of life forever, but you can’t feign your motivation for it.
Our energy comes from alignment to our purpose.
Clearly articulating WHY we do what we do, rather than simply HOW we do it or WHAT we do connects us to a deeper meaning.
It reminds us that we’re in tune with the actions we take and steadies the ship of motivation in challenging times.
Here’s how you find your why:
1) Notice Your Inner Child
We all have an inner child.
One that comes out to play whenever we re-discover that one fad that caught our attention for months on end.
Whether that be opening hordes of Match Attax to collect all the Man of the Matches, overtaking your best friends on Mario Kart DS or releasing the power of Beyblades onto the local playground.
By speaking kindly and listening to this child inside of us we can learn more about who we are and what drives our everyday actions.
To do so, try out these sentences:
As a child, I would daydream about…
When I grew up, I always wanted to be…
My favourite activity as a child was…
My favourite school subject as a child was…
With my childhood friends, I loved to…
Identify the themes, find how you could tap back into the interests as an adult and see where the journey takes you.
Each time you’ll get one step closer to your true self.
2) Find Your Flow State
You know when you lose yourself for hours on end.
When time passes without a second thought, absorbing every inch of your attention until the clock skips from 9pm to 3am.
That’s your flow state.
Where there’s no need for motivation because you’re so pre-occupied by the present moment instead.
Reflect on what takes you there by identifying activities with:
Attentional Focus - absorbs your entire focus.
Challenge - has just the right amount of difficulty.
Goal-orientation - is connected to a specific goal you have.
Feedback - gives you almost immediate feedback.
Personal control - is entirely within your control.
Timelessness - where time passes without limits.
Peace - without anxiety or worry.
Intrinsic motivation - rewarding for its own sake.
Disconnection - removes you from physical needs.
Single-mindedness - distracts you from multi-tasking.
You don’t need every factor for a flow state.
Just enough to lose yourself in that present moment.
3) Clearly Articulate Your Why
Your “Why” is a statement of purpose that describes why you do the work you do and why you live the lifestyle you do.
It’s you core source of motivation.
To articulate it reflect on what you’ve discovered feels like play and look for common themes across:
Your Values - What has guided your decision making?
Your Motivation - What draws you to love doing those activities?
Your Passions - Which interests do you have an insatiable thirst for?
Your Strengths - How do those activities play to your strengths?
In-between them all there’ll be a common thread.
Now write it out. But, don’t stress on getting it perfect the first time.
Because your “Why” will morph and evolve over the years.
My Why: “To empower individuals to create organisations of the future”
#2: Build Feedback Loops 🔁
“There are two things people want more than sex and money… recognition and praise” - Mary Kay Ash
Feedback is the fuel to the fire of motivation.
It whispers words of encouragement in our ears, reminding us what’s working and suggesting areas of improvement to focus on next.
Without it we’re sailing blind.
Unsure where to go next, disconnected from our impact and lacking the knowledge of which of our efforts actually make a difference.
So, seek out feedback as soon as possible. Accept criticism graciously and reflect on what you learn along the way.
Here’s how you do exactly that:
1) Reflect on Yourself Regularly
There won’t always be another person to give you feedback.
Especially at the beginning when you’re not yet swinging in-front of customers, team-mates or clients.
So, become your own coach and hold yourself accountable to your word by committing only when you 100% intend to do something.
Then give yourself an opportunity to reflect on a weekly basis by sitting down for at least 10 minutes to write down your responses to the questions:
“What went well this week?”
“What could have been improved?”
“Did I achieve everything I intended to?”
“Am I on-track towards my long-term goals?”
“Does anything need to change next week?”
Now whenever you lack the motivation, simply turn back the pages of your journal and realise how far you’ve already come.
2) Interview those You Impact
The single biggest motivator is having a positive impact on another person.
Hearing someone describe how the little insignificant lesson that you thought everyone knew changed their life forever is a wonderous feeling.
One that sparks your battery of motivation back into action.
But, you can’t simply wait for their words of encouragement or ask them point-blank if “they like what you’re doing”.
Instead, you have to entice authentic opinions by:
Asking them for specifics - “Can you tell me about a time when…”
Anonymising their feedback - “This feedback form will be anonymous”
Using scales for quantitative feedback - “On a scale of 1 to 5…”
Creating a safe space to listen - “Everything here is confidential”
Requesting improvements - “What do you think I could do better?”
If it’s not the feedback you expect, then work to improve it.
Only once you’re truly great will they let you know without asking.
3) Create a Feedback Bank
Every time you receive a compliment, save it somewhere.
Even if you’re not sure whether it’s relevant, add it to your collection. From the appreciation emails to the letters of love, the more the better.
It’ll be your go-to in those dark moments.
Because it’ll remind you why you started in the first place.
And it’ll act as an archive that you can use to:
Turn written responses into a word cloud for your wall.
Ask the donor to add to your LinkedIn recommendations.
Use as client testimonials or references for future work.
Feedback is fleeting at best.
So, make sure you capture yours with two hands.
#3: Play The Long Game ⌛
“Long-term thinking protects us during downturns (of all kinds), because it keeps us moving toward our most important goals” - Dorie Clark
As a society we’ve become obsessed with short-term results.
We place the Forbes 30 Under 30 list on the pedestal of success, inspiring us to achieve everything in our lives before our body clock demands we reproduce, lest we die childless without a family to care for us.
Which often motivates us to do incredible things.
But, can leave us with a very scattered approach.
Jumping from one experience to another until we hit a quarter-life crisis, and then question every decision we’ve ever made to get to this point in our lives.
But, it doesn’t have to be like this.
You don’t need to wait for the moment of crisis to change everything in your life. Cultivate a motivation that endures by playing the long game instead.
Here’s how you do exactly that:
1) See the Bigger Picture
Zoom out. Like seriously, zoom out.
Life is long. It doesn’t end with kids or start with retirement. It exists every single day until we eventually pass away (statistically in our 80s).
Once you’ve found a clear Why and are doing work you consistently enjoy, then give yourself the opportunity to make it a success.
Here’s how you see the bigger picture:
Think milestones, not timelines - what are the steps, not the goals?
Bad days are part of the process - they’re teaching you for tomorrow.
Enjoy the here and now - you’re only ever in this circumstance once.
Visualise the future - dreamline the person you’ll be in 10 years time.
Understand the maths - 1 x 1% better each day = 38 in 365 days.
Our efforts return exponential, not linear rewards.
So, understand what yours look like and stick through it if they’re worth it.
2) Invest into the Right People
You’re the combination of the 5 people you spend the most time with.
Your friends. Your family. Your colleagues. They all impose their wisdom onto you whether you like it or not.
The harsh reality is this - to get anywhere in life you’re going to have to surround yourself with people who know what it takes, understand the journey you’re on and want to help you to succeed.
If this means being ruthless with those who are afraid to dream big and project their insecurities onto you, it’s worth doing.
You don’t have to cut them entirely from your life. You can just reduce the amount you see them so they don’t influence you in the same way.
Social pressure is a tool of motivation.
Use it to raise you to the heights of your peers.
Or ignore it and they’ll drag you down to their level.
3) Optimise Your Information Diet
Gen Zers spend almost 6 hours a day on their phones.
That’s A LOT. Which means alongside the people you actually spend time with in-person, there’s a huge number of individuals influencing your motivation from the internet.
Every single person or brand you follow. Their photos. Their messages. Their newsletters. They project their mental model into your mind.
Some are divisive photoshopped victims who portray a fake reality. Others are open vulnerable inspiring wells of content who genuinely want to help.
Focus on the latter by:
Deleting social media platforms that make you feel like sh*t.
Unfollowing creators that add nothing useful to your life.
Unsubscribing from all those brand promos you never open.
Turning off notifications that simply distract you.
Removing “BREAKING NEWS” alerts from your phone.
Just as your diet predicts your physical health.
As does your information predict your mental health.
So, don’t wait for another day to work on your motivation.
Take small consistent steps now.
You’ll thank yourself later.
The Summary
Let’s recap: To master motivation you need to discover your why, build feedback loops and play the long-game.
There’s your 5 minutes, now take action.
📚 Recommended Book: The Long Game by Dorie Clark - Clark gives you tools and anecdotes to deploy decades of patience to achieving the goals that matter the most to you.
🎤 Recommended Talk: The Puzzle of Motivation by Dan Pink - Pink presents a case for rethinking how to engage employees and ourselves with motivation at work.
💎 Recommended Guide: Why You Should Celebrate Small Wins - A short guide on the science behind celebrating the seemingly insignificant and why you should consider doing it.
Great ideas! Thanks