Have you ever watched motivational videos? Did they do much for you? They start out with that “inspiring” (cough) music, the kind that sounds like a dentist got a side gig as a musician. Then comes the motivator person (oddly, almost always a white guy with big teeth and plasticky hair). He starts out with some kind of, “Are you ready to make MILLIONS?” (Because money is a motivator, right? Well, it is…but) “Come on,” he’ll say. Let’s get going!” And here, he’ll wave his arm over in an inclusive arc.
[Cut to canned footage of him standing over a bunch of books and CDs.]
I pray to *.deity that I am NEVER in a position where I’m offering you something like that. I hope I’m never trying to shill for a book that is framed around motivating you to do your job better. Because you know what? Motivation is your job.
The Right Job
First off, if you want to be more motivated about what you do, why not ask yourself whether or not you’re doing something you WANT to do. Okay, you’ve got a family. You have to pay the bills. Are you presuming that ONLY the current job will get your bills paid? Are you assuming there are NO other jobs out there? That you’re doomed?
If so, you’re viewing yourself as the sum of your career and not your capabilities. That’s a big damned mistake, and you should set about fixing that one right away. There are a few layers to this onion.
Solved, right? If you hate your job, find yourself other streams of income, or a new job, or both, and do something about it.
Time to be Creative
Let’s not go whining about not having enough time, okay? Do you own a TV? Do you watch it daily? If I hid the remote would you feel the pain?
People throw away so much time in every day. And don’t go feeling all righteous if you’re spending your time at the computer. If you’re reading blogs and other websites, even this one, it’s a lot like reading newspapers and magazines. It’s useful, and you get some information, but remember, that’s just getting ideas IN. You have to find time to get ideas OUT.
Be BRUTAL about your day and find yourself some time to do some creative things. Find some time to study new disciplines that might get you a job in a vertical that you like. Scrape out a half hour to an hour to get your health in. I have two kids, including an 8 week old, and I’m still working out ways to get time back for my creative pursuits, but you know what? I’m finding it.
Meet People, Dammit!
Be like Matthew Cornell and go out and network. Read books like Never Eat Alone, that teach you new ways to get to know other people, and new ways to make that time beneficial. Believe me. It’s not just about getting to know people. Things really get better once you find creative, interesting people with all kinds of ideas and different opinions to augment your own.
It’s great to be a solo creative genius, but for the rest of us, it’s often useful to have the spark of ideas that friends and colleagues will give you to juice up your own motivation and get your blood going.
Solve Problems
Do you know how people get motivated? They find itches to scratch. They look around and say, “This really needs doing, and I know how to do it.” Or even better, and here to me is the SPARK of sparks, realize that you DON’T know how to do it, and hack away at it, learning how to do it, or at least finding a way to the finish line.
Do you know why we love roller coasters? Do you know why we love horror films? It’s all about feeling accomplished. We equate the overcoming of fear, on a base level, with the same sensation as accomplishment. So in effect, we’re using roller coasters and horror movies as a surrogate for actually getting something done ourselves.
Look for Traps
Here are a few traps that eat motivation for breakfast:
You’re going to want to keep your momentum. You’ll want to shed those forces that add friction and reduce your chances of achieving escape velocity.
Fuel Up
I mentioned at the beginning that motivational speakers are spooky and that I don’t give them much credit. I do, however, have big respect for people who are inspirational. What’s the difference? Inspirational people are telling us about their lives, or about ways they solved their own challenges, and sometimes, they’re offering some lessons learned that we can use to fuel our own ideas. There are plenty of places to find inspiration.
I strongly recommend finding inspiration from sources and professions that are not your own. You want to learn what it is to make do with no money, no help from above, nothing but your own wits? Read books by school teachers, especially inner-city ones. You want to learn what it is to beat odds? Read Lance Armstrong’s It’s Not About the Bike (and don’t give me that Sheryl Crow whining- we all have flaws).
Do it Yourself
The #1 thing I learned from my first bout with college was that NO ONE CARES about my education except me. No one came looking for me when I started skipping classes. I thought I was pulling one over on people. I wasn’t. I was cheating myself.
NO ONE CARES about your success (okay, some in your family do, but that’s because they’re eating off your earnings). No one really cares if you don’t do anything between now and the grave. You can get there with or without hard work.
The other side of that coin, obviously, is that you can do things for yourself. You can learn for yourself. You can find motivation for yourself. You can deliver results that you NEVER thought were possible, if only you get up off your ass, quit your bitching, and start EATING life with big fat piggy gulps.
Believe from the bottom of your gut that every successful person you meet has learned that lesson above all else. I’m sure they’ll tell you if you ask. Ask them, “Who supplies you with passion?” After they get done laughing, they’ll say, “Get your own damned passion!”
[email]