The #1 Motivation ‘Hack’ To Achieve Your Goals and Stop Procrastinating
In the past, I had major motivational problems. It almost seemed as if motivation was something entirely random. Some days I had it, other days I didn’t. This led to many frustrating days in my life, where my productivity levels and self-esteem suffered heavily. Unfortunately, this is something many people suffer from on a daily basis. They never seem to be able to get that consistent level of motivation in their life — it just comes and goes.
But all of that changed for me when I learned a valuable motivation strategy from Tony Robbins’ Ultimate Edge programme. Ever since using this strategy on a daily basis, it almost seems like I’ve ‘hacked’ my motivation levels. Of course, it doesn’t work every single day, but it works about 90% of the times. Nowadays, I feel like I’m in control of my motivation levels (and I never had that before), which leads to much higher productivity levels and actually achieving the goals I set for myself.
So, the daily motivation hack I learned from Tony Robbins’ Ultimate Edge programme is that you should create leverage on yourself every single day.
Let me explain..
The 2 Driving Forces of Life (and Motivation)
The 2 driving forces of life are the need to avoid pain and the desire to gain pleasure. I’ll repeat this sentence once again because it’s so important: The 2 driving forces of life are the need to avoid pain and the desire to gain pleasure.
If you don’t take control over these 2 forces, they’ll control you and your entire life.
Force #1: The Need To Avoid Pain
People will do almost anything to avoid pain. Whether it’s avoiding actual physical pain or psychological pain, it doesn’t matter. It’s the reason why so many people procrastinate so often. They fear the pain of spending energy, being uncomfortable, and possible failure, embarrassment or rejection. This ‘motivates’ them not to take action. In fact, the need to avoid pain is the strongest motivator in the entire world.
However, we can use this need to avoid pain to our advantage in order to create motivation to start working on our ambitious goals. All we have to do is change our perspective.
Let’s say you have the ambitious goal of starting a business. As this goal is quite intimidating and many moving parts are involved, most people tend to procrastinate heavily on such a goal. In such cases, the need to avoid pain (of being out of your comfort zone, spending energy and possible failure) is so strong that it stifles people completely.
But what if we instead change our perspective. What if we start to link a lot of pain to not taking action. What if we link not taking action to be more painful than taking action. When we’re able to that, we create the essential motivation necessary to work on our goals and stop procrastinating.
To do so, you need to ask yourself a few honest questions:
- What will it cost me financially if I don’t take action? Will I miss out on potential new income opportunities?
- How will it affect me emotionally if I don’t achieve my goals because I don’t take action? Will I feel bad about myself and maybe even hit rock bottom?
- How will my health and energy suffer if I don’t take action?
- How will my relationships suffer if I continue to procrastinate?
- What will happen to my self-esteem and confidence if I don’t take action?
By answering these questions, you’ll start to realize that not taking action is actually more painful than taking action. In fact, the long-term losses of not taking action are usually 100x more painful than the short-term ‘losses’ (energy, time etc.). So, all we have to do is change our perspective. And as you change your perspective, you’ll change your behaviour.
So the next time you don’t feel motivated and you feel like procrastinating, stop focussing on the short-term pain of spending your time, energy and emotions on the tasks at hand. Instead, start focussing on the long-term pain that comes from NOT taking action. As soon as you’ve linked more pain to not taking action than to actually taking action, you’ve found the key to high motivation and productivity for the rest of your life.
Force #2: The Desire To Gain Pleasure
Another reason why people procrastinate and feel unmotivated is that they’re focussed on the pleasure they get from not taking action. In other words, if you decide to skip your workout and watch a movie instead, you focus on the pleasure that procrastinating will give you (in the form of watching a movie).
However, we can (again) easily transform this by changing our perspective. What if we focus instead of all the pleasure we’d get from actually taking action. What if we’d focus on everything we’d gain from taking action. Whether that means a financial gain, a stronger relationship, a better body, more positive emotions, higher confidence & self-esteem, more free time or peace of mind — anything that would make our lives better because of taking action.
And let’s face it, the gains (pleasure) we’d get from doing a workout, working on your business or working on one of your other goals is much stronger and more fulfilling than watching another episode on Netflix.
Creating Leverage On Yourself
So, it’s time to start creating leverage on yourself. Per goal you’ve set for yourself, write down every single type of pain you’d experience if you wouldn’t achieve it. What will it cost you financially? Emotionally? What will it cost you in your health, relationships, confidence and self-esteem? How will it limit your freedom? Write down every single pain-point next to your goal and take a moment to really feel it.
Then, write down all the pleasures you’d get from actually achieving your goal. Would you have more freedom? Better finances? A stronger body? Deeper relationships? Better emotions, self-esteem and confidence? Write down every single pleasure-point next to your goal. Again, take a moment to really feel how it would be like if you’d achieve this.
Now, every single day (preferably as part of your morning routine), review your goals and go through the pain- and pleasure-points that you’ve linked to these goals. This should immediately instil a feeling of motivation in your mind and body, inspiring you to take action.
Personally, I use this motivation hack every single day and I hardly find myself procrastinating anymore. Each and every day I’m confronted with the pain I’ll experience if I don’t take action — and all the pleasures I’d gain from taking action. This way, by using the forces of pain and pleasure to my advantage, I create a daily edge that helps me perform at higher levels.
Ps. I’ve written a FREE guide for you in order to STOP procrastinating for good. I’ll share 7 strategies that I personally use to stop procrastinating, get motivated and crush my to-do’s daily!
— -> Click Here To Get The FREE Guide NOW
— -> Click Here To Get The FREE Guide NOW
Now Do It
Use this ‘carrot and the stick’ method of pain and pleasure to motivate you to take action on a daily basis. Use it as an anti-procrastination tool. Understand that you must take action and that the pain of not taking action is too big.
Always ask yourself: What does it cost me in my health, self-esteem, finances, relationships and success if I don’t change and take action? This creates the necessary leverage in order to take action and stop procrastinating.
Action Point:
- Make a list of 4 action points that you should have done/be doing
- Write down the pain you associate with doing these tasks (effort, time, shame, emotions)
- Write down the pain you’d get from not doing it. What would it cost you in the long- and short-term?
- Write down the pleasure you’d get from doing it. What would you gain in the long- and short-term?
To Your Personal Growth,
-Jari
Founder Personal Growth Lab
Ps. I’ve written a FREE guide for you in order to STOP procrastinating for good. I’ll share 7 strategies that I personally use to stop procrastinating, get motivated and crush my to-do’s daily!
— -> Click Here To Get The FREE Guide NOW
— -> Click Here To Get The FREE Guide NOW
