To become successful in your quest, you also have to take a deep dive look at your motivation. Motivation is the backbone of self discipline. Applying self discipline to the other essential skills of planning, consistent implementation, continuous learning, and habit building is what will lead to success.
When you look at motivation, you have to examine both your external and your internal motivation. External motivation can be good short term to get you to take action; however, internal motivation must be used to produce long term results.
External motivation comes from a variety of places, such as your boss, your spouse, your kids, or everyone who asks you to do something for them. But unfortunately, external motivation can create a negative feedback loop because it allows you to build resentment towards those factors that are driving your motivation. Ultimately, you are not fulfilling your desires.
Internal motivation comes from you seeing an opportunity or a challenge that you want to address because you feel it will benefit society and make you feel fulfilled.
If we could all be 18 years old again, it would be ideal to determine what our passion and internal motivation are and then surround ourselves with people who are like-minded so that everything is pushing in the same direction. Given that we are not 18 anymore, it means that we have to have open and honest communication with the people in our lives so that everyone knows what our goals and objectives are. It is essential that everyone is on board and understands that the decisions we are making are in line with those goals and objectives driving our internal motivation. These tough conversations need to start with the words “I need”. Don’t blame the other person for limiting you or holding you back, but do inquire what the other person needs in order to help you succeed. Remember, the goal is to find a way for you to craft a life that meets everyone’s needs. Compromises can be reached in short-term increments, as each person gets aligned with what will ultimately provide everyone success and fulfillment.
