If You Want To Be Successful Don’t Wait For Motivation
I remember the first time I got fascinated about being a graphic designer, it was so exciting that I had sleepless nights trying to figure out things on my own. Looking back today it’s not strange to me how far my skill has developed.
I had a similar experience while learning writing too. I was overwhelmed by the writing I read; sometimes it was too good for me to fit in, other times it was so exciting that I wanted to be part of the fun.
However, this feeling of joy and excitement didn’t stay with me for too long, I got interrupted at some point and I felt like quitting. But then I discovered some little dark secrets about the journey to success; it has shaped my approach to life ever since. And today I would love to share these secrets with you.
Where Did It Begin?
It began with passion. You found what you love doing. You couldn’t sleep over the thoughts of it, even if you did, your dreams took over the baton from your mind. A glance at related works from other experts sparks the zest.
At this phase, interest is the vehicle, passion is the driver, mastery is the destination. You are so motivated that you are blinded to the bumps in the road. You’re not afraid of breaking down. You’re not considering obstacles; you just want to drive on as though you’d reach your destination that very day.
Do you remember that feeling? — the zest, the gusto and euphoria. You just couldn’t cage it. The pictures run faster in your head than you can actually get done per time. Nothing was more important to you than this. The future was clear in your head; it’s a perfect one, no one could talk you out of it. Nothing could come to separate you from your new discovery. Any attempt to disrupt your attention was unpardonable. Yeah! I felt that way too, trust me I know how it feels. But wait!…
Where Are You Right Now?
Yesterday is gone! Today is a new day. A fresh page for a new story — a better one. Really? Check your scripts; plot your performance against the time frame elapsed; draw your graph and tell me what it looks like. Is it a rising and falling movement? Or a constant acceleration? If it’s perfectly horizontal I doubt you’ve ever discovered your passion.
It is most likely that your graph had a steep acceleration at the initial phase on the time frame, but then just when it seemed like you were unstoppable, your performance started dropping gradually; then towards the tail of the time frame, everything seemed to be constant. So what really happened?
The Transition Cycle
Psychologists have studied human behaviour in learning and came up with the idea of the transition cycle. The idea is related to the imaginary graph I asked you to draw. In their study, they divided the time frame of learning into three, namely: the honeymoon phase, the dip phase and the Masters’ phase.
In the honeymoon phase you get excited about learning new things, so your improvements are quite fast. I’ve explained much of what goes on in this phase in the previous section.
Immediately after this phase, we enter into the dip phase. It’s more like sliding down the graph. At this point, you face overwhelming obstacles in your learning process that you almost quit (perhaps you actually quitted like most people). Unfortunately, you’re ignorant of the fact that the dip phase is as temporary as the honeymoon phase. Most times people quit at that point when they’re just about to break free into the next phase.
It is at this stage that passion can really be accessed, if genuine or not. When you’re in this phase, you doubt your passion and lose your motivation; the pictures you’ve constructed in your head gradually begins to fade off the page of your mind. Your sources of inspiration remind you of the good old days when the passion was hot, they no longer have a grip on you any longer. You start considering other options or perhaps accept fate by consoling yourself with those pitiful words: “maybe I wasn’t born for this.”
It becomes unfortunate if you have no one to spur you up back into that old passionate you. Rather you’re surrounded by mediocre pals who have no pursuit for success or excellence. Is this supposed to be the end of your journey?
Where Do You Go From Here?
Regardless of what your past was, or where you are now, as long as you are still alive, something can be done about tomorrow. What you expect of the future is what inspires the decisions you make today.
Ask yourself these questions, even if you have answered it before. Remind your subconscious and let the whole of your being be immersed in your answers.
- What do I love and want to do?
- Have I found what I’m ready to die for?
- Who do I wish to be like when I grow up?
- What gives me joy and happiness while doing it?
If your answers have not changed from what it used to be when you started this journey, then motivate yourself to keep on.
Here’s the little secret, if you REALLY want to succeed, don’t ever wait for motivation. Especially when you’re at the dip phase, the only motivation you’ll have is your desire to succeed. Learning is a long term commitment, and it’s not going to come easy. You need the discipline to stay committed.
Success is the reward for your sacrifice, so keep that in mind each time you face emotional hurdles in your pursuit. Instead of thinking how hard it is to learn, think of how wonderful it’d be when you become a pro.
The struggles of today are strong but not enough to quench our desire for success. The pains of today can never measure up to the benefits that come with success tomorrow. So take a firm grip of yourself and get set to fight your way through to success. And surely, I’ll meet you at the top of the ladder if you don’t quit.
