Motivation is not necessary for success.

[brickco]

It's not.

Everyone already has enough motivation to be successful.

If you're cold, you're automatically motivated to get warm. You don't need to read motivational quotes to want to be warm, it's automatic.

Fortunately, millions of years of evolution has given us lots of these automatic motivations (like adequate food and shelter).

So, if you're fooling yourself that you're going to be more motivated than everyone else and that will drive you to succeed, good luck.

Motivation will let you down.

It doesn't matter how motivated you are right now to wake up early tomorrow. At 4:30 AM when the alarm goes off, your motivation will let you down. You need to put the alarm clock on the other side of the room to force your a$$ out of bed. After you do this 300 times, you won't need the alarm clock.

It doesn't matter how motivated you are to drive a lambo right now. The next time you're camping with friends and enjoying nature, you won't really want a lambo anymore, you might want more free time in nature. Well guess what, if you were relying on your motivation to finish your app then it probably won't get done until you get that motivation back or you change it to something else. You need solid work ethic to finish the app. Motivation will let you down.

It doesn't matter how much you hate your job right now. If you are relying on your hatred of your job to motivate you to finish your e-book, then you are a fool. Because the next time you have a good day, you will probably skip working on your e-book that night. Everyone hates their job. Motivation will let you down.

Some days I just want to retire early. Some days I want to be a billionaire with a private jet. Some days I want people to look up to me. Some days I love my work so much I never want to stop working. Some days I want to get into Mountain Biking. Some days I want to build a cabin in the woods. Some days I want to be a philanthropist.

Fastlane success can bring all these things.

But not if I rely on these things for motivation to do the work.

The work needs to get done if I'm motivated or not. When I happen to be motivated, I just work more.

A good system or approach (like the fastlane method) combined with good habits and work ethic create success.

Motivation is nice to have. But if you're relying on it, good luck.

 

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[Digamma]

Solid post.

I said it before, and I'll say it again: motivation is for children - adults need discipline.
Motivation is a product you consume for good feelings - like chocolate, or sitcoms, or cat memes.
Discipline is the workout, the healthy meal, the boring practice that makes you a master.
Nothing good comes from feeling good.

Comes to mind a folktale I read as a child. I don't remember the details, but there was a stubborn character who repeatedly said that he had to go somewhere, and the other who insisted on correcting him with "God willing". In English, the exchange was something like:
- "Tomorrow I'll go there."
- "God wiling."
- "Tomorrow I'll go there, God willing. And if God doesn't want, I'll go anyway."

That's the approach I take with discipline. I do the work, whether I want it or not.

Be your own shitty boss, or have someone else boss you around. That's the choice.

 

[Nick314]

Be your own shitty boss, or have someone else boss you around. That's the choice.

Excellent meme. ++

 

[Mr.Donnerhuhn]

Motivation is like food for your cognitive processes.

You 100% NEED to rest and eat at some point. But if you spend most of your time resting and eating, you're gonna get fat and die.

Watch an inspirational/motivational video or post or whatever on your lunch break. But when it's time to work. Work.

 

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[Jakawan]

I love gym motivation and morning motivation to start the day and give you positive emotions to help your first thoughts be positive ones.
But when it's hard, it's really up to you to just DECIDE and do the work..

I think a lot of new entrepreneurs start a new business and they're super motivated because everything is new and exciting like a new girlfriend.
But once you find out that girl farts just like the rest of them.. and you find out that it's not all sunshine and rainbows.. you start having "grass is greener" syndrome.. well.. what if there's an easier way.. what if there's a better way.. what if there's a faster way.. and this leads to SHINY OBJECT SYNDROME..

I've been guilty of such also.. but through long talks, mentor-ship, advice, etc I've found that.. the truly successful people who go on to build something great.. they're FOCUSED. DEDICATED. They understand that the GRIND is necessary.. the PROCESS as you guys call it here.
Not every day is fun. Even if you LOVE your business and what you do.. not every aspect of it will be fun or enjoyable.. but it is necessary.
Delegate your weaknesses and what you hate.. but you still can't escape the grind and what's necessary.

I recently read this and highlighted it in my copy of the book "The Magic of Thinking Big" It says..
-A young branch sales manager for a door-to-door sales organization explained how he trained his sales force the "mechanical way" to start each day earlier and more successfully.
There's a tremendous resistance to the door-to-door sales-man, as any one who has ever sold house to house knows," he commented. "And it's hard, even for the VETERAN SALESMAN, to make that first call in the morning. He knows the odds are pretty good that he'll get some pretty rough treatment before the day is over. So it's natural for him to put off getting started in the morning. He'll drink a couple of extra cups of coffee, maybe cruise around the neighborhood awhile or do a dozen little things to postpone that first call.

"I train each new man this way. I explain to him that...

The ONLY way to start.. IS TO START. Don't deliberate. Don't postpone getting started. Do this: Just park your car. Get your sample case. walk to the door. Ring the bell. Smile. Say 'Good morning,' and make your presentation, all mechanically, without a lot of conscious thought. Start making calls this way and you break the ice. By the second or third call, your mind is sharp and your presentations become effective."

When you wake up in the morning, take mechanical action, just throw the covers and put your feet on the floor. It will defeat dread.

The point is clear. People who get things done in this world DON'T WAIT for the spirit to move them; THEY MOVE THE SPIRIT.

Jakawan's morning rant done. lol thanks for sparking it @brickco

 

[Almantas]

There's no need to over-complicate the importance of motivation. In my opinion, if we are going to debate whether one needs motivation or not, we should all have the same interpretation of the word 'motivate' - which is not the case in this thread I am pretty sure.

In my own general opinion, motivation is like a car ignition and discipline is like a fuel. Motivation helps MOST people get off their asses and do the task, whereas discipline keeps MOST people spinning the wheels without any thought of giving up or slowing down.

 

[CMA]

It's funny; when I read your headline I was thinking that I was not going to like this post, but when I read your post I understand what you mean.

Get it done. Motivated or not, keep moving forward and get results.

Solid post.

 

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[brickco]

There's no need to over-complicate the importance of motivation. In my opinion, if we are going to debate whether one needs motivation or not, we should all have the same interpretation of the word 'motivate' - which is not the case in this thread I am pretty sure.

In my own general opinion, motivation is like a car ignition and discipline is like a fuel. Motivation helps MOST people get off their asses and do the task, whereas discipline keeps MOST people spinning the wheels without any thought of giving up or slowing down.

I think you're right. I debated calling the thread "External Motivation is not necessary for success" but it wasn't as grabby.

 

[brewster]

Nice post.

Motivation is good for for the first step. But, the next 9,999? Don't count on it to get you through.

At the end of the day, it's all about having processes in place and building momentum.

Once you get the wheel spinning, it's infinitely easier to keep it spinning.

That's the problem, though. Most people give up before the momentum takes over.

 

[NonMagicalGenie]

In my opinion your purpose is necessary for success..
Everyone wants to be successful. But to be successful, there is an important thing you must have and that is a purpose.
Self motivation can help you in many ways, but without having a purpose to why, it will be much more difficult for you to succeed.
Here I’d like to discuss a few reasons why motivation is essential:
1. Motivation helps you get started
Can you feel the difference between working on something you like and something you don’t like? I’m sure you can.
You don’t need other people to push you to do something you like. You don’t need other people to tell you to go and do it.
In fact, you will take the initiative to work. It’s really helpful for you because getting started is the most difficult part in many cases.
2. Purpose keeps you going
After getting started, come the problem of keep moving. Failure is inevitable on your journey to success. If you don’t have a purpose, you will be easily discouraged when you meet obstacles along the way.
That’s why a purpose is very important: it can make the difference between success and failure.
Winners are those who can go through challenges and difficulties thanks to their purpose. Losers, on the other hand, are those who can’t go through challenges and difficulties since they lack the a purpose.
3. Purpose helps you excel in what you do
If you have the purpose, you will naturally want to go deeper than the majority of other people. You love to do it, so you will effortlessly do more than what is expected from you.
While the majority of other people will only do what is required of them, you go further than that. Obviously, you are much more likely to succeed that way.
4. Motivation helps you have fun along the way
The journey to achieve success may seem like a difficult one for people who lack a purpose. But for those who are also motivated, they will have a different perspective.
The journey to be successful is still long, but it’s something that they can enjoy. They can go through it and still have fun.
While difficult challenges will always be there, your purpose will help you overcome them successfully.

There I fixed it.

Motivation is mental masturbation in the long run. Until you figure out your purpose to why you should keep moving forward, you aren't going to keep pushing yourself past your own limitations in the long run even with all the "motivation" you can find.

Now to really make that "purpose" worth while, you're going to have to have commitment, discipline, perseverance, and patience in some cases. But having just motivation isn't going to get you anywhere.

 

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[scott.legendre]

mo·ti·va·tion
ˌmōdəˈvāSH(ə)n/
noun

1. the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.
   "escape can be a strong motivation for travel"
   synonyms:motive, motivating force, incentive, stimulus, stimulation, inspiration,inducement, incitement, spur, reason;
   informalcarrot
   "his motivation was financial"

bullshit. you came to this forum and read the book, because you are motivated to make money and earn your personal freedom. your motivation is the key.

The trick is to dig deep and find out EXACTLY why you are motivated to do what you are doing until you are inspired day in and day out by it. Why do you want a lot of money? What will you do with your freedom once you have it? what is the endgame?

 

[brickco]

I guess the point is that everyone (mostly) intrinsically wants more money and personal freedom already.

Yes, some people want it more than others. How much I want it fluctuates day to day. But bottom line is, if my work depends on how much I want something, then the times I don't want it as bad and the work is hard, the work won't get done. And that's exactly when the work needs to be done. I don't think there is a single thing that will keep anyone fully motivated 100% of the time. What would the fun be once you achieved your motivation?

 

[Newpollz]

Solid post.

I said it before, and I'll say it again: motivation is for children - adults need discipline.
Motivation is a product you consume for good feelings - like chocolate, or sitcoms, or cat memes.
Discipline is the workout, the healthy meal, the boring practice that makes you a master.
Nothing good comes from feeling good.

Comes to mind a folktale I read as a child. I don't remember the details, but there was a stubborn character who repeatedly said that he had to go somewhere, and the other who insisted on correcting him with "God willing". In English, the exchange was something like:
- "Tomorrow I'll go there."
- "God wiling."
- "Tomorrow I'll go there, God willing. And if God doesn't want, I'll go anyway."

That's the approach I take with discipline. I do the work, whether I want it or not.

Be your own shitty boss, or have someone else boss you around. That's the choice.

Solid post indeed. And so is yours but philosophically speaking if God doesn't want you to go anywhere then you wont.

 

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[eekern]

Great one !

There is no new information under the sun, you won`t get motivated by something you read, but by the person you become from taking action regardless of how you are feeling..

Get around people who have the result you want and you will have all the motivation you will ever need.

 

[Leo Hendrix]

Vision might be a better tool to drive you, as you said motivation alone, does not last.

Vision, combined with strategy, goals, systems and habits might work better.

Sure, I feel motivated after seeing/reading about other Entrepreneurs success's and watching a few clips on YouTube, but that doesn't necessarily translate to results.

 

[Delmania]

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2016/01/04/visions-over-goals/

Motivation gets the car started, habits keep it going, and vision is your navigation system.

 

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