How do you motivate yourself when the stress and pressure are gone?
Do you feel motivated at work?
That feeling of focus, moving priorities forward, being energized about work every morning.
Now… pause and ask yourself. What is driving that motivation?
Are you…
Stressed about hitting your numbers?
Excited by your mission?
Worried about impressing your boss?
Running on adrenaline?
For so many of us the adrenaline we feel is driven by stress. By pressure. And we mistake it for motivation.
Sure, it can feel exciting - the thrill of the hunt. The joy from being complimented by your boss on a job well done.
But you are outsourcing your motivation. This isn't intrinsic motivation.
This is motivation from fear, competitiveness and pressure.
It can lead to burn out. Stress. Anxiety.
So many folks realize this and seek out more purpose driven work. We do the hard work of decoupling our identify from our job title.
But then what happens…
We use purpose as our motivation.
But this is a BIG adjustment.
Without the pressure we can feel unmotivated.
It can feel like a very slow pace.
We are used to the stress and adrenaline and while we know we don't want that anymore, it can be hard to adjust to feeling aligned.
One of my clients is going through this right now. She recently started a job that is super purpose aligned. Less pressure. More flexiblity.
And yet without the pressure she finds herself feeling unmotivated.
So how do you handle this shift? A few tips.
Figure out what intrinsically motivates you. Your purpose, your family, the contributions you are making to the world. Whatever it is get clear on it.
Identify what success looks like for you in this next chaper. Is it chasing the next promotion, or not working on evenings and weekends?
Just go it anyways. In the absense of motivation just keep working and taking action. Motivaiton is a feeling, discipline is an act. In the act of moving forward even when they don't feel like it my clients often find the motivations they were looking for.
What are your thoughts on this. How have you found motivation outside the hustle? How did you adjust to discover your intrinsic motivation?
