At the time I was originally writing this, I had previously watched a video of a real estate mogul and mentor who made $265,000 on a 6-hour training.
He then swiped through a list of emails on his iPhone and discussed how one customer was sending a check for over $133,000 from a business deal she recently closed with him.
This is the same person I sat down with for a meeting at the end of 2019 to ask questions and find out from an expert on how to make money online.
This post details what I learned at that pivotal meeting, and what you can learn about motivation – from a millionaire.
I took what I learned in that meeting and tapped into my motivation to play to my strengths in building a business online to do tech startup consulting.
Nothing but my own ability to write (notice that I didn’t say skill, I just mean ability), plus my own motivation has been involved in this process. Minor expenses and invested time are parts of the equation, but motivation is the #1 item that overrules everything.
Back to motivation though…
Where does YOUR motivation come from? How do you start a journey that feels like climbing Mt. Everest? How do you work toward the goal of landing a $100k+ business deal?
Let’s talk about it.
What Motivates You To Succeed In Life?
Maybe you’re reading this and you’ve reached this point in the year and are thinking to yourself… “I don’t feel motivated. I don’t know where to go from here and I don’t feel like doing x, y, and z.”
You may have abandoned your January goals. You might be back pre-resolution habits, waiting for “good things to come”, and going through courses or self-help books without taking effective action.
I can promise you – you’re not alone. You’re not the only one feeling stranded on an island of foggy future plans. You might be wondering when the ship of golden opportunities will come.
Should you be looking out for a ship and waiting for that golden opportunity?
No.
According to the real estate expert and mentor I mentioned at the beginning – good things never come to those who wait.
You have to be motivated to make the opportunities a reality for yourself.
And the reality is this: no single coach, mentor, boss, or family member can motivate you.
The truth of what motivates you to succeed in life is that it’s solely dependent on you, the actions you take, and the environment you create to motivate yourself.
You Are Your Motivation
The best professor I ever had (and undoubtedly the most intense instructor) spoke about this concept best in the management class she led:
You cannot motivate others. Only people can motivate themselves. You can only provide the environment in which they motivate themselves.
Now – she was speaking about the boss-employee relationship at that time, but the quote still applies in the context of you being your own boss and making your environment a source of motivation for yourself.
Your environment precedes your taking a specific action and having the motivation to do what needs to be done.
Continual interruption of daily habits and routines in the course of this year has definitely equated to a shift in our environments. Meaning, that our source of motivation can have the potential to have drastically changed with the change in our routines and lifestyles. As a positive factor, we can be that much more aware and take action to create effective environments that suit us in ways that don’t depend on an office setup.
On that note, returning to the business mogul and mentor I talked about at the beginning of the post who made $265,000+ this week. He also discussed motivation and change this week. He speaks to the following:
Your life starts when you begin to do the work it takes.
As well as the following:
Good things never come to those who wait.
So, what motivates you to succeed? How can you start the work it takes? How can you format your environment to get you to climb the Mt. Everest of your goals?
4 Ways to Build an Environment to Motivate Yourself
With all that being said, how do you create an environment that allows you to motivate yourself?
Your environment encompasses more than your office setup. What motivates you to succeed is a combination of “environmental” factors that includes the people you choose to engage with, the media you consume, your mental organization, and your daily motivation potential.
I’ve hashed out a list of tips to help you. These are not the same tips on an employee training website. (Most websites focus on team motivation, but what I want to highlight here – is your motivation outside of the employee mindset and interview sphere.)
I also wanted to share tips beyond sprucing up your home office space, given that everyone’s office setup is different at the moment.
Write down or type up everything.
This is first because I can’t even tell you how important this is.
What you need to do (and what I and my mentor do) – is put everything in your head on a whiteboard, a Notejoy list, a piece of paper, or a simple project platform.
This includes the following:
- Project types
- Project details
- Tasks
- Goals
- Budgets
- Measures of success
- Deadlines
- Priority levels
- Strengths
- Weaknesses
- Events
- Opportunities
- Resources
Write out your tasks, prioritize them, and make new lists and notes on a daily basis. Determine if you need to do them if they should be done right away, and if you can delegate or remove them from the list totally (meaning they’re not necessary).
Include all the potential ideas, project details, and possible opportunities you have to connect, learn, and develop your projects more.
Related: How To Organize Your Projects Using 4 Budget Saving Tools
As a personal example, there are so many things that I could easily not feel motivated to tackle AT ALL without listing out and planning all these key details.
Take this blog for instance: from writing at least one post a week, to SEO practices, podcast pitching, guest blogging, interviews, keyword research, affiliate, and ad partnerships, along with blog security and site hosting, there are so many details to remember! Ahhh!
Overall, you can’t fail with having your list and tasks all laid out in a place or system YOU will check and consistently review.
Have your list of tasks, goals, and brainstorming notes in a visible place where you will revisit it on a daily basis and (the key part), the same place where you will take action on said goals. (I keep a pen and paper list right next to my laptop and monitor.)
Have your media hold you accountable.
Meaning – the content that shows up in your social media feeds, flies into your email inbox, the podcasts you listen to, and the calendar event notifications you get- are highly related to the goals you’re trying to reach.
Say you want to build an online course or build an e-commerce brand – you would then want to subscribe to email business newsletters, follow Instagram accounts, subscribe to YouTube creators, and join webinars and company training that are in line with what you want to do.
Related: 5 Top Business Newsletters To Lead Like a CEO
Not only do you get the insight and tools to succeed in these resources and media moments, but you get the pings, emails, and events in your calendar that can be used as your critical reminders to stay motivated and accountable to your goals during the week.
Surround yourself with people who “do better” than you.
People who are working to be successful are often running in the same circles as people who are working to be successful or REALLY successful. It’s no coincidence – and it’s so important!
If you surround yourself with people who are successful, you are more motivated to drive yourself forward to get the same results. In this way, you have an environment of people around you that exist as powerful resources and guides, and represent the vision for the results that you’re seeking.
Alternatively, if you surround yourself with people who make you feel inadequate, who party every weekend, or are otherwise negatively holding you back, you may never feel the motivation to drive yourself forward.
What do you do?
Don’t waste your time and money with people who deter you from following your dreams!
Reach out to experts online, through LinkedIn, and join Facebook groups and virtual Meetup groups (many you can find in your area) to meet like-minded people in your area of interest.
What motivates you to succeed can also apply to someone else. Consider the fact that you can also one day be a motivating factor in another person’s “environment.”
Make the most of motivated moments.
There’s always a point in the day where you feel the readiest to take on the day and its tasks. It’s the time of day when you seek to create and mark off tasks on your to-do list.
This could be morning, evening, or at 2 PM following the second cup of coffee. (Oddly for me – this is the first few hours after I wake up.)
Whatever this time is for you, pay attention to it and make the most of these crucial moments when you feel “fired up” to take action. Plan to block out these general time periods during the day to focus on the hard-to-finish tasks. Your goals and to-do lists will benefit greatly!
What if money motivates me?
I hear this question occasionally when it comes to motivation.
Money is a powerful motivator but is so in flux depending on your specific situation. Your passion and motivation are forever and are available in abundance, even if you have only a couple of bucks to your name.
If you go forth to build a business with money as the driving force, the business fails from the start.
Why?
Motivation and passion are more vital than money at the start of building a business. Starting a business takes time. It’s a marathon to make it profitable. Since money isn’t involved at the “grind” at the beginning of the business, your motivation may fall through the cracks before you can even make a pretty penny.
If you rely on money for motivation, it will generally equate to you working for someone else who holds the funds that motivate you. This employer always has the “carrot” that drives you forward.
It’s key is to look at what motivates you to succeed and re-align with your goals.
Ask yourself these two questions:
- Are your goals actually a fit for you?
- Can you see yourself mustering the motivation and passion to power through when things get tough?
If so, you’re taking the first steps to your future success in your own venture.
What Motivates You to Succeed for Tomorrow
Set yourself up today to feel motivated, accountable, and prepared to tackle your goals for your success tomorrow. Whether, you’re working in real estate and aiming to make X number of closings a month, aiming to create a 7-figure online course, or launching a business, your motivation is the key piece to making it all happen. The key is keeping in mind what motivates you to succeed and pursue your goals.
The following quote sums it up best for staying motivated and putting that energy into your passions and goals:
The time will pass anyway; We might as well put that passing time to the best possible use.
Earl Nightingale
Have a success story in motivation? Are you a startup founder seeking to get your story out there? Contact me here for the chance for your company to be featured!
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