Chapter 3. Motivation myths
Myth 1: I have to be motivated before I start working
Not true! See Chapter 2. I just don’t feel like it. Almost every day of your life you do
things you don’t really feel like doing. Think of days when you haven’t felt like going
to work but you still did. When you believe this statement, you put off doing tasks
because you don’t feel like you’re motivated – even though you are quite capable of
doing the task.
Myth 2: My boss/company/spouse/another should motivate me
Not true! Take responsibility for motivating yourself. Saying that it’s the company’s
fault that they aren’t motivating you is disempowering (for you). You’re NOT likely to
get far in life if you believe this. Is your success in life really that dependant on
others? Be accountable and responsible for your own success, your own motivation
and your own choices.
Myth 3: Fear is a good motivator
Not entirely true! Fear certainly does motivate and can get results. However it’s not
always sustainable. And, when fear loses its power, you may start floundering. Fear
motivation often causes cyclical successes. For example, let’s say you have a fear of
being fat and ugly. You wake up, look in the mirror and you say to yourself, “That’s it,
you look dreadful. All that weight is revolting. If you carry on like this you will be
obese and no-one will want to be with you.”
Your fear motivates you to do something. You decide to join a weight-loss group and
you’re highly motivated. The weight starts dropping slowly and steadily. One day you
look in the mirror and you say, “You’re looking great! Look how good those clothes
look on you – time to celebrate!” And off you go to a slap-up meal with your friends.
You have a little extra over the weekend. You “need” a glass of wine after a hard day
at work. Slowly but surely the weight comes back. What happened? The moment
you looked in the mirror and decided you were fine, the fear of being fat was not
there – and your motivation to diet was GONE. Without the motivation, there’s not
much incentive to diet. So you start putting on weight until one day you look in the
mirror and say “That’s it, you look dreadful. All that weight is revolting. If you carry
on like this you will be obese and no-one will want to be with you....”