Motivation: The Great Misconception

I used to believe in motivation. Not anymore. People are often unaware of just how dangerous settling or simplifying an idea or a way of life can very well be. As an immediate gratifying society, we tend to implore ourselves into mindlessly believing that everything and anything is merely seen from one vocal point, disregarding the remaining 359 possibilities it could have turned out otherwise. It is a lot like leaving an infant in the middle of the jungle, a haunting uncertainty of an outcome.

Interpreting motivation is not as simple as A-B-C (I wish it were); I think doing so would be a lot like trying to run on the water when you should be swimming. Let me ask you something, how do you get from point A to point B? Some would say go straight, and some would say it depends. On what? On how you want to get there. Nobody ever said it was a straight path, and you could jump towards it, do zig-zags towards it, or curve to it; the possibilities are infinite. It’s all about how you see the end goal.

Mark Twain once said: “Motivation is what gets you started; habit is what keeps you going.” The funny thing is, some persist on the idea that motivation is a vehicle to get you to where you want to be when on the contrary, it is merely one of the many gears that rev the engine of progression. I am not saying motivation is terrible. It is a great thing, but sadly it is often difunctionally utilized because I have mistakenly done so myself.

I used to believe that motivation is that burning desire inside that will keep that engine running until I reach that “end goal,” but I had it all wrong. A perfect example is hitting the gym. I have been bodybuilding since late 2017, making it around three years of experience. Throughout those years, I realized the fuel that kept me going was never motivation at all.

I trained with a good friend who took the time to mold my technical form to lift properly. I have always been amazed by his physique back then, so I asked him one time: “How are you always motivated?” and he told me: “Seek not for motivation, seek for a cause.” This led me to the following extension to that quote:

"Motivation is the leaves that change with the seasons, the cause is the root. For any tree to stand firm, it must first plant its roots deep.”

Mark Wahlberg once said: “The miracle of discipline: In strictness, you create freedom.” It is hard; I’ll give you that from personal experience, but not impossible. The root that steadies your belief and fuels your drive is finding your “why.”

Why do you want to get fitter? Why do you want to become an entrepreneur? Why do you want to improve your communication skills?

The tricky part about motivation is that it is often mistaken as a drive and vice versa. So here is a better way to distinguish the trident of relentless pursuit: Motivation is the spark, the drive is the fuel, and the cause is the flame itself. It’s a lot like taking caffeine for a pre-workout; it boosts you with that extra “oomph” throughout your workouts, something you should always leverage.

But what happens when you don’t have it with you at one point in a given time? Do you cancel the whole workout session just because you don’t have that “boost”? If your answer is yes, then that means you may be a little too dependent on caffeine to work out (I know I am); if your answer is no, then you are driven.

Whichever answer you chose, don't feel bad or good about yourself just yet. Let me ask you this: what does it take to become driven?

Discipline. It does not matter how gloomy or sunny your day is, do it anyway—feeling tired? Do it. Got work to do? Make time and do it. Feeling bad about how you look in the mirror? Do it. Leave little to no room for excuses; suffocate them until you can’t think of one anymore. Once you’ve found it, write it down, plan it out, and execute it.

I find time block schedules and Google Calendar super helpful, almost like a personal manager. You can set reminders, goals, tasks, and events to organize your day (not a paid promotion, but Google if you’re reading this, you know where to reach me). It’s like having a personal assistant, in my opinion.

I got reminded by a lesson I learned the hard way by something that Joe Rogan said: “The key to growth is a balance of enthusiasm and discipline. Working out five days a week is often better than seven days a week.” In other words, self-care should always be your priority.

If you feel ill, take a rest for the day. If you completely tanked out, grab a cup of hot chocolate while listening to jazz for that recharge. If you feel like you’ve mentally drained yourself from work, turn your screen off and do some yoga or take a walk to the park. As a veteran burnout venturer (probably not a thing), please know that sometimes being unproductive IS productive because sometimes remaining in place is always better than a step back.

Balance is the key ingredient. Once you’ve learned how to distinguish and leverage motivation, drive, and the cause, that’s how you become consistent; that’s how you grow, that’s when you become untapped.

Like most of us, I’m continually learning something new about myself. I, too, still struggle to differentiate the trident of relentless pursuit (I love this name btw). Every mistake teaches you one way it wouldn’t work, so keep doing, testing, and practicing until you can’t get it wrong.