Have you ever been on an intense motivation kick, only to later fall on your face? Then you end up right back where you started?! Whether you openly admit it to yourself or not, this is a big part of the reason people say “motivation doesn’t last.” The good news is that you are not alone, but this cycle does still need to be broken. Can I get an amen here?
I fully intend on making a valid point for all of this, but first a story about food…
My wife has an amazing recipe for chili. I am talking about record-breaking, change the course of your life – amazing! It is so good that no ingredient can be changed or it’s just not the same. I am not usually a snob about brand names being better than generic or anything. But when it comes to her chili it is what it is.
Do you get to enjoy food as good as I just described?!
A time or two she has substituted an ingredient like the brand of chili beans or gone with a less expensive chili powder. Every single time, I pick up on the subtle change immediately. Taking that first spoonful, “Hey Carmen, what did use in this that you normally don’t” I’ll ask. Immediately I can tell that the taste is off and for that reason, it isn’t quite as good as I know it could be. Personally, I’ve been a long time advocate of the seemingly insignificant details being the difference between good and great. Food is certainly a perfect example of this.
You are probably wondering why the hell I am talking about my wife and her cooking abilities. Relax, I am about to tie this all together for you.
This is really profound and very important. Perhaps it will allow you to change everything that you are trying to stay motivated for. Motivation is very difficult to maintain without a special ingredient that I like to call “joy”. You may be saying, “Jason, you don’t understand what’s happening with me at all. I am trying to lose weight and I hate working out.” Perhaps that is your reality and I am not suggesting that you “trick” yourself into finding joy in something you don’t. The joy you are missing could be as simple as remembering the reasons you want to lose weight and live a healthier life. Who else will you impact by living a longer, more capable life? Maybe your joy is found in the results. Could you be lacking joy because you haven’t been exposed to the right new perspective? Are you missing that special ingredient?
How’s your motivation for your business and its longevity?
Answer that question honestly because you may find that you are focused on the wrong things. I have tried to motivate myself by financial goals alone and it leaves me miserable and highly unsatisfied. I have tried to stay motivated based on what other people told me that I should focus on. For me, that turned out to be a huge waste of time too. Other people don’t live my life for me so how much sense does this really make? Other people often don’t take the very advice that they give to everyone else.
These thoughts made me realize how silly those ideas were.
I find when joy is a piece of the equation for something, staying motivated becomes easy. You could say that I can put my motivation on autopilot for lack of a better word. Finding joy in inspiring others because they can find life-changing value and a renewed sense of focus. Then finding joy in the digital marketing automation that I do for clients. It saves them time and money and their marketing runs more efficiently. Finally finding joy in growing my company because I can pay my team more. I can take care of my family and impact a larger number of businesses.
Enough about me, let’s end this blog focused back on you. Do you find that motivation is tough to find and even tougher to maintain? Ask yourself if you get any joy from what you are focusing on. It could be the small ingredient that you have been missing.
Written by Jason Wright