
The True Key of Motivation: How to Sustain It
Struggling to maintain motivation at work or in your personal life? Discover the true key of motivation, avoiding common pitfalls that lead to demotivation. Explore practical insights and strategies to keep your drive and enthusiasm intact.
“Spending time and energy trying to motivate people is a waste. The real question is not 'How do we motivate people?' but 'How do we avoid demotivating them?' If you have the right people, they are already motivated. The main thing is not to demotivate them. The first way to demotivate people is to ignore harsh realities.”
— Jim Collins, Good to Great
When I read this line in Jim Collins' book Good to Great, it suddenly reminded me of a personal experience that I felt compelled to share.
The Power of Motivation
Motivation is a big catalyst in both our personal and professional lives. It drives us to finish tasks, achieve expected results, reconnect with old friends, or attend that appointment we've been avoiding. But where does this motivation come from, and why does it sometimes disappear?
Motivation is the same as planting seeds. If you water and nurture them, they grow and bear fruit. But if you neglect them, they dry up and die. Motivated people tend to nurture their seeds and keep them in the sun, but if external and internal factors are out of sync, the results can be dire.
A Real-Life Example
In my consulting work, i once worked with a founder who was extremely confident and had written many success stories. This person knew how to keep their motivation "plant" well-watered and in the sun. So well, in fact, that they started telling themselves lies. It's okay to tell ourselves little white lies to stay motivated, or to visualize our future success as John Harricharan says in the book of “Power Pose”. But convincing ourselves of unrealized achievements can ultimately wear us and those around us down.
This founder had a project that wasn't real or ready enough, yet they believed they were presenting it successfully. I can't help but mention, they also surrounded themselves with people who always praised and applauded them. This led to a situation where the sales, product, and marketing teams became demotivated because they were struggling with something that didn’t ready enough.
The Key to Maintaining Motivation
As Jim Collins points out, the real issue is not demotivating the right people. When I got to know the employees at this company, it was clear they were genuinely motivated. The problem was that the management was demotivating them. Not surprisingly, this company had a high turnover rate.
So how do we keep motivation alive?
Making the Choice to Stay Motivated
Let’s continue with our example with this company. A motivated individual in this company might choose to lower their motivation due to the demotivating work environment, or they might not.
How does a person choose to lose motivation?
From the moment they start their day, they are surrounded by people who tell them why things won't work, friends who criticize rather than congratulate, and elders who never stop giving advice. With all of these they look at their life and see no reason to stay motivated.
So how could this individual choose to stay motivated?
As our question, the article, and the book suggest, it’s all about choice. The sunrise within us can’t be dimmed by others. No one else can stop our seeds from bearing fruit. We choose. We choose whether to work with those who believe in unrealistic successes, continue with friends who criticize before they congratulate, and let everything affect our motivation.
The Bigger Picture
We need to learn this: “It’s not about you.”
Everything inside us is about ourselves, not others. The same goes for others; everything about them is about themselves.
If someone lies to you, they are lying to themselves as well. If they criticize you before congratulating you, they are criticizing themselves too. Everything reflects how they treat themselves. When we encounter negativity, it’s important not to internalize it as our own fault. As many thinkers and professionals tells, we should focus on the right influences and avoid those who don’t choose their words and actions carefully. We shouldn’t let it make us think, “I am lacking, I am a failure.” We need to focus on the advice of thinkers and professionals who emphasize choosing their words and actions carefully. Those who don’t choose their words and actions carefully should have no place in our lives.