The Myth of Motivation
“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” — Billie Jean King
We all have bad days at work. Days where we feel unmotivated and distracted and maybe even a little burned out. Some might say, “well, you’re just not motivated.”
And you probably feel like you should quit. That you’re not having fun, and you’re not passionate about your work anymore and that it’s time to move on.
This month, Staff Shop is myth busting yet again and this time we’re taking on the topic of motivation.
Myth: Only people who are naturally motivated succeed.
FALSE!
So, what is motivation, anyway?
According to a recent article in Psychology Today, “motivation is the energy we bring to activities.”
The article focuses on the new book, Motivation Myth Busters: Science-Based Strategies to Boost Motivation in Yourself and Others by Wendy Grolnick, Benjamin Heddy, and Frank Worrell. In the book, the authors dispel several myths about motivation. For example, Myth #4 says: “Motivation alone is enough for success.” The truth is success is not dependent solely on motivation.
Motivation vs. Discipline
You might think, “if I’m motivated, I’ll work harder, and if I work harder, I’ll be more successful.”
You also might think you need a spark to ignite your passion. Or that you must wait for motivation to strike before you can truly succeed.
STOP WAITING.
There will be no perfect moment where the stars will align for you.
This is where discipline comes into play. Rather than waiting for that motivating moment to happen, you dig in and get your work done anyway.
So, you might not feel motivated, so you decide to change careers, but you still don’t feel motivated. The problem could be a lack of discipline. You can make any number of life changes you want to try to succeed, but if you lack discipline you will be less likely to achieve your goals in any role.
Having discipline is putting in the work required to be successful. Do you want a promotion? Just showing up to work and doing the bare minimum isn’t going to cut it. You have to put in the work. You have to be disciplined.
“Discipline is what kicks in long after motivation has faded. And if you’ve ever made a new year’s resolution that lasted until mid-January or set an intention on Monday that you strayed from by Friday, you know that motivation has a tendency to fade. Discipline carries you from the moment you start working on making a change, to the moment you celebrate the end result.” – Why Discipline Matters—and 5 Ways to Work On It, Psychology Today.
Many people might say, “but I’m trying my best.” 
Unfortunately, your current “best” might not be good enough. This is why to succeed, you have to commit to personal and professional growth. If your current best effort isn’t enough, find out what you have to do to do better. That could be professional development. You could find a mentor and learn more from them. Again, don’t wait for motivation to kick in.
The Staff Shop Team
We are so fortunate to have a team of passionate people who work hard and get results. But we know everyone has their off days, so we asked them “what keeps you going when the going gets tough?”
Here are some of their answers:
“On hard days, when work feels tough, what keeps me going is the knowledge that every challenge presents an opportunity for growth.” — Jef Tolentino, Chief Administrator
“I have many things to help me combat any bad days and days where I am feeling off.
Binaural Beats: Started utilizing different Binaural Beats via Spotify. There are various ones that are available for all, for example I am consistently using ones that are for focus or ones that are centered for anxiety and such. I have ADHD and some days I struggle trying to get myself focused to finish tasks.” — Chantal Porter, Staffing Manager
What are Binaural Beats?
“On tough days when I feel really really low and do not want to do anything, my dedication and my urge to stay true to whatever I am doing keeps me on track.This keeps pushing me to still show up and do my best and not let anything affect my commitment.” — Nidhi Soni, Accounting Manager
“What keeps me going is my passion for helping people and being there for them. Every time I have a bad/tough day, I just remind myself that there are people who depend on me and I can’t let them down due to a personal reason.” — Mohammad Alqroum, Staffing Manager
“I play my “focus playlist” on Spotify. It’s basically lofi beats. I know when this music is on it’s go time. This always works for me.” — Belinda LeMay, Relationship Manager
“Without the power of discipline, I would not be the founder & CEO of Staff Shop and FireFlames, nor would I be able to lead, mother, be a good wife or person. It’s a daily code, practice and obedience that keeps the blessings flowing.” — Jennifer Ménard-Shand, CEO
Reach Out
One tool that Staff Shop believes in to ensure our people are productive, happy and fulfilled is The Core Values Index™ (The CVI™) to measure what each person values most. We then use that information to place people in positions that naturally feed their core value energies – resulting in happy, fulfilled top performers, long term.
You can also book some time with us to discuss this topic further. Contact us today!