motivation
mo·ti·va·tion (noun)
The purpose one has for taking action. The energy required for someone to behave in a particular way.
In the movie Limitless, writer Eddie Morra was completely unmotivated, unfocused, and had no energy. When he popped the pill that made him suddenly take action, his life drastically changed for the better because he was able to make things happen.
Let’s unlimit a few LIEs commonly held around motivation. Contrary to popular belief, like your mindset, motivation is not fixed. No one has a set level of motivation. And when people say they are unmotivated, it’s not completely true. They could have a high level of motivation to stay in bed and watch television.
Motivation also doesn’t mean you must enjoy something that you need to do. My friend, entrepreneur Tom Bilyeu, hates working out, but he has a clear and compelling reason to do so, so he does it every morning. I really don’t like taking cold showers, but I do it daily (I’ll explain why in Chapter 8).
Finally, motivation is not something you wake up with or not. We put ourselves in a trance when we say, “I don’t have any motivation.” Motivation is not something you have; it’s something you do. And it’s entirely sustainable. Unlike a warm bath, it’s not something that you experience for a moment and then lose unless you heat it up again. Motivation isn’t derived from a seminar that temporarily pumps you up. It’s a process. And since it’s a strategy, you have control over it and can create it consistently by following the right recipe.
Here’s the formula: Motivation = Purpose × Energy × S3
When you combine purpose, energy, and small simple steps (S3), you get sustainable motivation. And the ultimate form of motivation is the state of flow. Think about it as energy management. Creating it, investing it, and not wasting it. A clear purpose or reason gives you energy. Practices you employ will cultivate energy for your brain and the rest of your body, and small simple steps require little energy.
In this section, we’ll talk about how to cultivate powerful sustainable motivation around learning and life that lasts. We’ll achieve this by getting clear on your purpose, fostering the mental and physical energy that will sustain you, and establishing small simple steps. And tapping flow states.
Purpose drives us to act, and our purpose must be clear enough that we know why we’re acting and what we’re hoping to gain. Generating sufficient energy is vital—if you’re tired or sleepy, or if your brain is foggy, then you won’t have the fuel to take action. Small simple steps take minimal effort and keep you from being paralyzed with overwhelm. And finally, finding flow is the ultimate boon to motivation.
