MOTIVATION: Greatness from Grit(ness)
We introduce this month’s issue with a message from (one of) our sponsors:
"Dude, trying to talk about motivation in the month of August is one of those things that’s either genius or like, the definition of optimism.”
Kind of back-handed, but I’ll take it. Having successfully tackled the theme of inspiration and the many places it can’t be found, last month, I thought it would be helpful and perhaps even therapeutic for team members to move onto thinking about the art of getting (sh)it done, once there is a goal or an idea in mind.
Motivation is the essence of what this publication is about after all, for it bridges the gap between dreaming and game-planning; the work required to reach a given goal, is best measured in planned steps; and the goal itself can only exist when you want something, usually from having dreamed about it.
The transition from inspiration to motivation is also interesting because before we published FU4 many team members used the two words interchangeably, sparking debate about the difference. Now we have a collection of ideas around both themes – illuminating why they are so easily misused but more importantly, the key ways in which they differ.
Where inspiration is about thought, motivation is about action; inspiration is about invisible magic and motivation is about visible change; inspiration is on the ether and motivation is on terra firma; if inspiration is “the spark” then motivation is the resulting flame, bringing me nicely to our unanimous analogy.
Motivation is the fire under our asses that makes us jump high enough to get stuff done. Sometimes this can literally mean the avoidance of pain-in-the-ass consequences, since it’s simply part of the human condition to run faster from the bad things in life than towards the good. Recognizing this is the first hurdle – then, in order to be productive, most healthy adults use this insight to sweeten the deal, either by getting the shitty stuff out of the way or by literally bringing sweeties into the equation.
Furthermore, fire is an apt metaphor for motivation because it is also a common analogy for the intense passion it takes to achieve personal goals – whether your love is for film, music, design or wine (making and distributing). And in the same way that fire spreads, motivation can also be contagious: observing the way it generates productivity in others often inspires us to knuckle down and prove that we can do it too.
In this way, the ability to dream is a quality of great leadership. Ritu Pant states in a recent blog post: Not all dreamers are leaders but all leaders are definitely dreamers. Good leadership strikes a fine balance between broad “blue sky” thinking and the narrow focus required to make progress one step at a time. This balance also highlights the fact that there are two modes of motivation: short term and long term. As Douglas asserts in his article, your long term motivation is the ultimate goal or The Reason behind everything you do (which requires dreamy big thinking); and short term motivation is the ongoing drive (i.e. narrow focus) behind your daily actions and decisions which, in an ideal world, contribute to the bigger picture.
Keeping your eye on the prize is an essential part of staying motivated. Focusing on your desired result and not allowing daily happenings to skew you off course, is a recommendation most of our contributors have made in different ways. The concept gets interesting however, if you consider the counter-intuitive goal of getting out of the fast lane. The prevalent perception of motivation is that it involves working harder, longer and faster - but in some cases the ultimate end is to have enough time to dream in the first place, either by slowing down key elements of your life or carving out moments in your routine to ponder over the questions we often ask ourselves but rarely attempt to answer.
So whether the ultimate goal is yours alone or shared with loved ones, motivation is that combination of grit between your teeth and fire under your ass / in your belly, that impels you to action. Sounds uncomfortable? Good, because comfort is the last thing we need. Now, where are my matches…
by Onika Simon
Subscribe to feed
comments
Inspirational as usual Nikki.
I'm very proud to you by Aunt.
Lot of Love Aunty Joyce, Julia and Uncle Alan xxx
When can we expect the October update of your site. In particluar, I'm waiting for the next cartoons by Louie Stowell. The drawings are great, but the thoughts she pens to go with them are really witty. Keep up the good work. I'll keep stopping in from time to time to check.
Mike, Glad you like the site. Fearless Leader Onika got caught up in some personal stuff and Issue 6 had to be postponed until November. It will be powerful though, so stay tuned.