Quote of the Day:

"Motivation: such an aggravation
Accusations: don’t know how to shake them
Inspiration: getting hard to fake it
Concentration: never hard to break it
Situation: never what you want it to be.”

-Sum 41, “Motivation” (Chorus)

Ever find yourself saying, “Why is it that when it comes to doing this one thing, I keep getting stuck and I can never feel motivated to do it?” All the right elements could be in place to ensure our success, and yet as the captain of our ships we may find ourselves steering away from taking the necessary steps that we know will produce our desired outcome.

Recap:

In the previous post, we covered the importance of being more intentional with our time and tracking it as a way of measuring our level of success in sticking to those intentions. Today we’ll explore getting beyond that block and understand what needs to take place in order for us to understand how motivation works.

💫Today’s Spark:

There are 4 sources of motivation according to Ali Abdaal in his first book, Feel-Good Productivity:

1. Extrinsic or External Motivation
   • This is when you do things for external validation outside of yourself. →
     ”I’m doing this because people will like me/respect me more.”
     ”I’m doing this because I’ll get paid more for doing it.”

2. Intrinsic or Internal Motivation
   • This is when you do something because you love the process as an end in itself. →
     You can think of this as “the pursuit of happiness is actually happiness as the pursuit itself.”
     ”I’m doing this because I love doing this and it doesn’t even feel like work.”

3. Introjected Motivation
   • This is when you do something because you tell yourself you’ll feel “bad” or “guilty” if it isn’t done.

4. Identified Motivation
   • This is when you start taking action because it is necessary to help you get closer to a goal or outcome that you truly value.
     ”I really want to become a teacher, and I love inspiring the youth of today. I really want to learn and grow more by working at a math and reading center.”

We can’t always have 2 or 4, so we want to design our actions towards getting close to them as much as possible by making a choice that stretches us beyond our comfort zone. This is what Jeff Haden refers to as “deliberate practice” in his book The Motivation Myth.

Jeff flips the idea that motivation isn't this elusive thing we have to chase; it's something we create through action by focusing on the processes aimed towards helping us achieve our goals (and we want these goals to be small, achievable ones). Once you start taking action, even if they are teeny-tiny steps, you'll find that motivation tends to follow. It's like a snowball effect – the more you do, the more motivated you become. What is one small step you can take today towards any goals or projects you have?

Action drives motivation which leads to success, which leads you to taking more deliberate action.

Although I agree with Jeff, I find that taking action requires a certain level of necessity and clarity as well. There’s usually a feeling or emotion that is associated with why we might be holding off on getting started at all which we need to bring more awareness to in order to get beyond the block.

🔥Ignite Action:

Identify what could be holding you back:

• Is it a fear? An identity? An emotional attachment?

  Ex. I often get into a state of analysis paralysis, and I often feel way too overwhelmed sometimes when it comes to tasks that keep adding up.

  Overwhelm → Scared I can’t handle it all → Scared I’ll be ridiculed for not doing it → Safer to avoid, dismiss or distract myself with doing something else instead of sitting with the feelings of anxiety/fear.

• Core vulnerabilities and insecurities are often at the heart of procrastination. Ask yourself the following questions when you go into “back-burner mode” :
  
  
  •  What am I avoiding right now?
  •  What is the feeling going on behind the procrastination right now?
  •  Can I turn any negative self talk or negative labels I’ve placed on myself right now into positive ones? 

Let’s see it in action:

T&M (Tandem)💫Tip For Motivation:

• In order to generate the energy I need to spark motivation, here are some of my favorite methods I like to use:

  Method:	How it’s done:	How it helps:
  Affective Labelling	Write down or say out loud the emotion that comes up whenever you aren’t feeling motivated in taking action towards something.	By verbalizing or identifying the emotion, you are more likely to accept the feeling fully before making a decision to move forward from it.
  High 5 Method (Mel Robbins)	Give yourself a high five in the mirror every morning when you wake up. Alternatively give your loved ones a high five to celebrate the small wins and build positive reinforcement.	It sounds silly, but the visual of you being your own cheerleader is actually quite empowering and fun to do with your loved ones. A small high-five for taking out the trash seems awkward and laughable at first, but trust me this effect compounds over time.
  Social Nights	Surround yourself with positive, like-minded individuals and schedule a time to get together once in a while.	Our environment and our sphere of influence has a huge impact on our levels of motivation and success.
  Language Reframe	Should → Must Have to → Get to	I should eat more healthy foods v.s. I must eat more healthy foods. I have to wake up early everyday v.s. I get to wake up early everyday. Oooh. Let that last one sink in.

One of the key takeaways from Haden’s book is that we should focus on the processes rather than the outcome of the goal itself. He emphasizes the importance of embracing the journey towards our goals and by prioritizing the process first, individuals cultivate behaviours that contribute to long-term success and well-being. Systems and processes are an essential component for a well-functioning business, so get ready to join me in the next post as I introduce the key processes I’ve created for building an amazing team that has helped me in my automation journey.

With love and gratitude always,

Tina Lee

Certified High Performance Coach™
Tandem Spark Coaching (Founder)