The difference between motivation and follow-through
“Peter,” my friend Byron emailed me a few days ago. “I haven’t been diligent about working out over the past five years and I’m trying to get back in the gym and get myself into a healthier state
“I need to fix it,” he wrote. He is motivated to work out; otherwise he wouldn’t have emailed me. He clearly cares about getting fit and when you care about something, you’re motivated.
No, Byron’s challenge isn’t motivation. It’s follow-through.
Which is important to realize because as long as Byron thinks he’s solving for a motivation problem, he’ll be looking for the wrong solution…
Motivation is in the mind; follow-through is in the practice. Motivation is conceptual; follow-through is practical. In fact, the solution to a motivation problem is the exact opposite of the solution to a follow through problem. The mind is essential to motivation. But with follow through, it’s the mind that gets in the way.
We’ve all experienced our mind sabotaging our aspirations. We decide to go to the gym after work but then, when it comes time to go, we think, It’s late, I’m tired, maybe I’ll skip it today.
Here’s the key: if you want to follow through on something, stop thinking.
Shut down the conversation that goes on in your head before it starts. Don’t take the bait. Stop arguing with yourself.
Make a very specific decision about something you want to do and don’t question it.
- Peter Bregman
(Source: blogs.hbr.org)
