“Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching.” – Satchel Paige
Chances are you have tasks each day, that you just don’t want to do. Talk about un motivation.
You can’t always change the “what” you have to do, but you can always change the “why” or “how.” If you change your “why” or change your “how”, you can find your motivation, even for tasks you don’t normally want to do. This approach for motivation works because instead of rely on external motivation, you make it intrinsic or internal. You basically find your drive from the inside out, rather than wait for it, or react to external pressure.
By motivating yourself with skill, you can actually enjoy the things you already have to do or get them done faster and easier. You can also use this approach to take on new things.
3 Ways to Change Your Why
Here are three ways to change your “why”:
- Find a higher cause (e.g. “I’m doing this for the greater good vs. just for me.”)
- Make new meaning (e.g. “I don’t want to take out the trash” becomes “taking out the trash helps do my part around the house.”)
- Tell yourself a compelling story (e.g. “I write the code that brings good ideas to life” or “I write the songs that make the world a better place.”)
6 Ways to Change Your How
Here are six ways to change your “how”:
- Use deliberate practice to master your craft (i.e. use a disciplined approach to improve a routine activity.)
- Make it a game (against time, against yourself, …)
- Pair up with somebody (somebody might enjoy sharing the load or teaching you their ways.)
- Change when you do it — you’ll find you have different energy levels (i.e. you can get more done during your power hours or creative hours.)
- Link it to good feelings (e.g. play your favorite songs.)
- Set a limit (e.g. chunk it up or timebox it.)
While there’s a will there’s a way, but I find that finding my will is a skill that gets better with practice.
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