How can you motivate others without being motivated yourself? You can give the best advice in the world but can you accept it for yourself?
Reading inspirational memoirs and motivational speeches can help drive your inner stimulus. The problem is: it is very temporary and difficult to maintain this energy. For those making videos outlining ‘how to be successful’ or ‘positive influence is the key to motivation’ could genuinely be trying to push you to do better based on their experiences. A great portion of people’s time and energy is dedicated to acquiring, possessing, and thinking about material things (Cross 2000; Kasser 2002; Roberts 2011; Sheldon and Kasser 2008), resulting in ‘thought leaders’ thinking they can motivate others with their new Lambos or designer fabrics.
Nobody wants to talk about their failures versus their successes. Perhaps showing you the latest Lamborghini Urus will push some to strive their best to acquire such materialistic values. True motivation comes from within yourself and can of course be sparked by a 3rd party influence.
Learning from your failures can act as a key motivator to do better than you were yesterday .Accepting this face of recognition can ignite your inner drive that pushes you to act on your flaws and try to improve them everyday. You don’t want to end up repeating your defeats or chasing your tail in circles.
The only constant in life is change- embrace it.
The famous quote “you can’t change other people; you can only change yourself” by actress Lorraine Bracco is highly relevant to what I’m saying here. If you try to motivate others while you remain unenthused by your own endeavours, you will end up chasing your tail. If you have the power to recognize some of your past experiences as failures and learn from them, you’re on the path to a much cleaner, brighter future.
Earlier this year as COVID-19 became more prevalent and we were sitting in lockdown, I was sitting on the ground talking with my (potential, at the time) business partner about what we can do to get out of our rut of a situation and lead a much happier, more clear lifestyle. It took me weeks to have this mental breakthrough which resulted in a europhic feeling like no other.
“So what you’re telling me is, there’s the possibility to break the shackles of this corporate lifestyle and build a business that revolves around the representation of who WE are? We don’t have to put on a facade and exemplify a business that is not our true calling? Is that what you’re telling me, Felix?” I questioned, and questioned, and questioned.
Exploring risks and finding your truth.
The thought of jumping into something so new and exciting, while understanding the risks involved, had pushed me so far out of my comfort zone that I leaped like a tiger going after it’s prey. We were stuck in the mindset filled with security, which resulted in fear and partial complacency. I thought to myself again and again, “what do I have to lose? I’m not even getting paid to do what I really want.” Those who seek the truth run the risk of finding it.
I currently sit at the table proudly as a founder of a very successful marketing startup generated in a global recession. Taking what was learned in the past and shaping it with new and extensive knowledge has allowed me to be motivated by growth which has played a primary driver in the success of MohrWolfe. After taking my own advice and surrounding myself with like-minded people, the path was much clearer and my dopamine levels have skyrocketed since.
Like others, I love a challenge. I want my network to come to me and ask for inspiring tips and tricks to help them grow themselves and their business. Providing this type of value drives me to be the better Ashton than I was the day before. Hosting the ability to share your failures (and what you learned from them) with your peers and provide valuable insight to help better themselves is a proper method to stay motivated. Instead of growing by yourself, grow with the people around you!