Motivation Myths (10 lies we can nip in the bud)
To more fully grasp something – anything – understanding its misconceptions can be just as revealing as knowing its truths. So welcome to my list of the top motivation myths to know.
I’ve spent a lot of time researching this topic and self reflecting on it.
You see, I’m a traveling musician and artist who has struggled immensely with actually finishing the countless things I start (luckily, I’ve gotten much better at this).
Fostering my creative discipline was essential. And it seemed my research always circled back to motivation. But I found there were a lot of misunderstandings on the topic.
So I made this list to address them.
This post covers some of the top fallacies I’ve come across, so I hope the ideas here provide you with some helpful insights into how motivation doesn’t work.
But let’s wrap up this chit chat. Let’s just jump right in.
But first, let’s take a closer look at why understanding motivational myths is so important in the first place.
Understanding What Motivation Is Not: Why It’s Important
Motivation is the drive and emotion to do and finish sh!t. Unfortunately, there are a lot of misunderstandings on the topic.
But how does understanding what something is not help us?
Here are some benefits to knowing myths about motivation:
You can more easily spot and dismiss myths when they come up
By knowing what not do to, you can better know what to do
More knowledge on a topic is never wasted effort
Understanding motivational myths boosts your confidence for pursuing your other motivational techniques
Knowing motivational myths saves you time by knowing which new information to listen to, which new techniques to try and where to spend your focus
Understanding myths is like learning from mistakes, which is essential for success
Studying myths creates an engineered understanding of motivation’s component parts (i.e., what makes up and what doesn’t make up motivation)
Motivation Myths to Know: 10 Lies to Nip In the Bud
The myths are collections of some of the top ones I’ve come across. I’ll try to keep the list updated as I stumble across more.
But if you’ve got any I’ve missed, let me know in the comments – I’d love to hear!
Otherwise, let’s dive in.
Myth 1: You Have No Control Over Your Motivation
Myth number one – you have no control over motivation.
I think there’s a tendency to view motivation as something that pops up when it feels like it, and that’s it. It’s something we can’t control.
But the truth is, motivation can be honed like any other skill. It’s a mood with spontaneity, yes. But it’s also a habit and something we can turn on.
The quickest solution is often to just start. And that brings us to the second myth.
Myth 2: Motivation Comes Before Action
There’s an idea (and I’ve been guilty of believing this one) that waiting for motivation and only acting on things when the motivation is there is the formula that works.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
The fact is, motivation often follows action. And yes, the spontaneous moments of motivation are the exceptions here.
But if you’re looking for a way to create motivation, simply starting often leads to a motivated mood.
Myth 3: Money Is the Strongest Motivator
Full disclaimer, money does have a certain degree of motivation – but there’s a hard cutoff.
Once you’re able to make enough to live, survive and cover your expenses, money’s motivation diminishes sharply.
There’s plenty of research on this too. Essentially, higher salaries don’t motivate employees to be more engaged and happier.
Alternatively, things like involvement, a sense of ownership and feeling like you’re making a difference are more motivational factors for productivity and overall happiness.
So yes, money is important to certain extent. But eventually it loses its luster.
Myth 4: Successful People Are Naturally Motivated All the Time
You know those people who wake up at 5 am, work for 4 hours, go to the gym, then go back to work, and follow up the rest of their time with other important self improvement and business growth tasks?
They must be motivated at all times, right? Not exactly.
I’m not necessarily performing at this caliber (I prefer sleeping a bit later and working at night for most of my creativity tasks) – but my daily schedule and discipline has exponentially improved over the years.
And I can tell you motivation isn’t the core ingredient. It’s discipline, habit formation, removing distractions, optimizing time and tasks and having clearly defined micro and macro goals.
It’s the result of having an exciting purpose defined and a love for what I’m doing and the process in general. It’s having a growth mindset.
So yes, motivation is a factor and is definitely more present compared to when I wasn’t doing what I love, but motivation isn’t something that just shows up all day, every day.
It’s the result of clarity, discipline and mission.
Myth 5: Motivation Is A Fixed Personality Trait
What you believe about yourself has a huge impact on results and motivation.
If someone is constantly telling themselves “I’m not a motivated person…” or “I’m just lazy and I like comfort”, then they’re creating and reinforcing that reality.
But motivation is a mood as much as it is a personality trait and mindset.
So shifting your thinking and what you believe about how you control your habits and behaviors can have a huge impact on motivation.
Reframing thoughts as first “I sometimes struggle with motivation…” and then “I am motivated…” is a subtle way to start reframing your subconscious belief systems and personality.
Becoming a motivated person is more about believing you are (or can be) a motivated person in the first place. Growth mindset.
Myth 6: You Shouldn’t Do Things That Don’t Motivate You
This one is delicate. Because I also understand that there are some things we should cut out of our lives if they’re not bringing us value and motivation.
BUT! After you’ve established your goals, purpose and mission, you’re going to come up against things that don’t motivate you in the process of reaching the goals and life you want.
Every journey and process has tedious parts, obstacles and challenges that are demotivating. The trick is to remember your vision and your why, and to power through – motivation or not.
So yes, I’m happy I quit being an English teacher in Japan because it was a career and job that didn’t motivate me.
But pushing through the technical details of mixing vocal track stacks for my music was also incredibly unmotivating in the beginning. But it was essential for me to learn to reach my brand goals.
Myth 7: I’ll Be Motivated, Once I Have ____
Ah yes, tomorrow. A magical place where all of human productivity lives.
If we’re waiting for the right moment, the right set of circumstances or to just “be ready”, that moment will never come.
So the blank spot in this myth can be anything. I’ll be motivated, once I have:
More time
More money
A six pack
etc.
And yes, you will probably be more motivated once you do reach those goals, but getting there requires action and not waiting for the motivation.
We can visualize it as a way to borrow some of that future life motivation. But the situation is kind of like a paradox.
It’s way more beneficial to focus on mindset, personal happiness and practicing a love for the process while developing discipline and an effective workflow.
Myth 8: Being Unmotivated Is Lazy
This one sort of takes an alternative view – that being unmotivated somehow means you’re lazy.
That’s not true. It could be that maybe you haven’t found the thing that makes you excited, or your goals and vision are still a work in progress.
Or you’re still building habits and strengthening the personality of becoming motivated more consistently.
I’ve definitely been there where I feel drained and tapped out – and lazy for it. But a lack of motivation does not necessarily equate laziness.
We all feel unmotivated at times – just recognize it, accept it and push forward anyways.
Myth 9: Intrinsic Motivation Is Better Than Extrinsic, Which Is Better Than Intrinsic…
There are many different types of motivations and sources of it. It’s highly personal, dynamic and can change depending on the day or month.
So it’s not that intrinsic motivation is better than extrinsic, or that extrinsic beats intrinsic – it’s both, and all the time.
Some days, outward goals motivate me. Then other days, it’s my internal reward system and values that motivate me most.
So as with anything, motivation and its sources are often a living balance between many things, and their individual importance can vary by the day.
Myth 10: We Can’t Get Anything Done Without Motivation
This last myth sort of circles back to #2 (that action requires motivation), but it’s subtly different.
Getting things done without motivation is a critical skill for growth and reaching awesome goals. And we can do a lot without motivation.
While it helps to have that extra energy, pushing through and accomplishing tasks has more to do with discipline, focus and habit formation.
Motivation is nice when it’s there, but relying on it is a mistake. So look at your to-dos and micro goals, and just try to push forward.
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