The 5 Myths of Motivation
“Motivation is garbage.” — Mel Robbins
Until I heard those words, I never believed that. As a self-help author, motivational speaker, and fan of all things Tony Robbins, no one could convince me that motivation was unnecessary to life success.
And then new information began to show up in my life:
- a post from an athlete on Instagram
- an Impact Theory interview with Mel Robbins
- reading ‘The 5 Second Rule’
Before long, I was looking at the idea of motivation with new eyes… and 4 things became VERY clear:
- Most people talk about motivation when they really mean purpose
- How you feel has a lot of power over what you do (and that can be a really good or a really bad thing)
- Motivation is a weak substitute for tenacity
- Success doesn’t require motivation
And here’s the interesting thing:
The farther you get from motivation, the closer you get to habit.
So the next time you think about taking action on your goals and dreams, spend a few minutes calling yourself out on what I call The 5 Myths of Motivation.
These myths have become the excuses so many of us use to NOT achieve our dreams. These are also the myths other people will use to support you in settling for an okay life.
Review these myths often and call yourself out on them daily.
Here are the 5 Myths of Motivation:
Myth 1: The Inspiration Myth
“If it doesn’t inspire me, it’s not meant for me.”
How many times have you started working on a goal only to find, somewhere after the honeymoon phase and before the finish line, that the newness has worn off, the excitement fades and you no longer feel ‘inspired’ to take action?
This is due to the Inspiration Myth.
Here’s the reality: most of the path to any dream includes doing a lot of things you’d prefer not to do but have to complete to get to the goal.
Myth 2: The Performance Myth
“I have to be motivated to operate at peak performance.”
John Maxwell said it best, “You can more easily act your way into feeling than you can feel your way into acting.” And, yet, many of us believe that we have to hype ourselves up to peak performance. Worse than that, we look to others to make us ‘feel’ like doing things.
Here’s the deal: champions are consistent in their pursuit of peak performance whether they are well or sick, whether they feel happy or sad, whether it’s a good day or a bad day.
While their results may differ, the amount of work they put in is very consistent. The test of stamina is what you do when you’re NOT in the mood to do it.
Myth 3: The Readiness Myth
“When I’m ready, I’ll take action.”
You could spend your entire life waiting to feel ready. For many of life’s greatest adventures, there is no such thing as ‘feeling ready.’ But people allow fear of the unknown and self-doubt to keep them stuck in places that ‘feel safe.’
The truth: the most dangerous place to live is in your comfort zone.
Here’s the other truth: You will never feel ready to pursue any goal or dream that’s going to take your life to the next level. You haven’t pursued something like that before so you have no frame of reference for a journey like that… and you’re not supposed to have it all figured out. The entire point of going after bigger dreams and goals is to become the person capable of achieving that next level… and you’re aren’t that person yet.
And you won’t become that person until you give up the need for being ready and hold on to the belief that “Whatever comes, I can figure it out.”
Myth 4: The Procrastination Myth
“Procrastination leads to pressure which leads to motivation.”
By far, this one myth is a dream killer. To believe that you have to have your back against the wall as a means of getting you to take the actions that will uplift and transform your life makes NO sense. Pressure activates stress hormones and creates a fight or flight response that takes away your ability to think creatively, constructively and freely.
More than that, procrastination itself comes from a deep feeling of unworthiness. The only time we delay our good is when we believe, on some level, that we don’t deserve it. The only thing procrastination will do is force you into a position of taking any action that will lead to okay results and no great success story is built on the backs of “okay” effort.
Myth 5: The Circumstances Myth
“I have to get the circumstances right first and then I’ll take action.”
Epictetus said it best, “Circumstances do not make the man; they reveal him to himself.”
What if the circumstances of your life never change?
How do you explain the success of people in worse circumstances than you?
What kind of personal power do you possess if your life is dictated by external variables that you cannot control?
At the end of the day, nothing about your circumstances needs to change for you to be successful. You can achieve any goal or dream, under any circumstance, as long as you decide, commit and take persistent massive action.
Your life is totally up to you. You choose what you allow to run your life.
At the end of the day, motivation is not a requirement of your success.
Is it nice? Yes.
Does it help? Yes.
Is it required? No.
For you to be successful, only one thing is required: YOU…
All of you…
All in…
All the time…
#gogetit
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