There is a difference between motivation and determination and it’s worth exploring them and really getting to know what makes your drivers drive.
Motivation is usually external. We are motivated by seeing something good in another person and going, Wow, I want to do that too. It’s a desire to have an outcome or a response. We can be equally motivated by something that repulses us. Wow, I never want that to happen to me (or again, if you are looking at the scales you are suddenly motivated to lose the weight you gained.) Motivation drives things into action, it’s designed to get things moving, but usually, it’s fleeting. It lasts only as long as we are looking at that desired or undesired outcome. If you go to a motivational seminar, it might last only as long as the seminar, or it might last a day or two after. You might be motivated to start exercising and then the alarm goes off and it’s raining.
So, motivation warms you up, inspires and provides energy for change. That’s what I want (or don’t want).
How do you stay there?
That’s what determination is for. Determination is when you really get hooked on the result. You really get it ingrained in your mind that you need this outcome and you will do anything to get there.
Determination lasts through the rain, through the financial difficulties and through the battle.
Where are you with your business right now?
Motivation vs Determination
Do you WANT something external? Are you in that excited wake-up phase, that warmed up inspiration to do things differently and get a great result?
Or do you NEED something internally? Are you in the true grit of the situation, living your passion through thick and thin, with your eye locked onto winning that future goal?
Here’s the truth of it. Anyone can be inspired. In fact, we like to be inspired, it feels great. We spend a heap of money on all sorts of inspiring things; magazines, movies, art, music, books, fashion shows, workshops, theatre, blogs, looking at pictures, attending seminars, hearing other people’s stories. It’s emotionally engaging.
So while everyone can be inspired, not everyone turns that motivation into a result. They might get some of the way but it’s clear that not everyone has the determination to see that goal through to the end. Why?
Because they don’t believe they are capable of the goal. Self-belief, and belief in the goal, is what creates determination. Grit and grittiness have been studied and measured by positive psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth who concludes that the difference between people who succeed and people who fail, across all types of measures is their grit. She says that grit and talent are in no way related, and in many cases, the grittiest students are the least talented or skilled.
“Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality.”
Turning Motivation Into Determination
In recent case studies of successful entrepreneurs, both Lisa Messenger and Gary Vee put success down to hustle. Our ability to get down and do it no matter what. Determination has many names, but they all point to the same thing, the ability to hold on to the end and see that dream through.
Some people might have more natural grit than others. Perhaps as kids, their ability to follow goals was nurtured, or they might have seen determination working at school and were able to adopt that through their adult lives. But my belief is that anyone can develop grit or determination so that after motivation, they have something long lasting to thrive on.
The truth is there is no magic bullet. Success doesn’t just fall out of the sky and into your lap because you’re a good person. You have to roll up your sleeves and do the work. If it doesn’t happen instantly, people often give up, and that’s where determination outlasts motivation.
So, knowing that means everyone needs determination in their lives.
No matter what your determination ranking might be right now, there are ways to strengthen it. So here are some sure-fire ways to get determined, no matter what.
Find Your Determination
Firstly, positive motivation is far more powerful than negative. While we can be equally motivated by both at first, the one that is deeper and longer lasting is the type of motivation where we move towards something we want, rather than away from something we don’t want. That way, the closer we get to the goal, the more motivated we feel. Having those motivation jumps really helps strengthen that determination.
So to start with, if your motivation is negative, the, ‘Wow, I never want to be in that position’, turn it around and ask yourself, where do I want to be? That will create a positive motivator.
Now, get connected. Really imagine what things will look like, feel like and be like for you when you get there. Use all the senses, smell, feel, hearing, taste and touch to lock that into a deep part of your mind in a way that really gets a tingle up your spine.
That will be what your determination is anchored to. That image there will be the carrot you will keep striving for no matter what. Love your goal, love what it will mean for you and love where you are going.
Give yourself checkpoints, know how long it will take to get to that final success and create markers and milestones for where you can expect to be at a certain time, and check in. Reward yourself when you do well and up the anti if you miss a marker.
Finally, keep those bursts of motivation going. Find people who are already doing what you are working towards. Gather as much proof and evidence as you can find for how this is possible for you. It is possible. Believe in it!
Believing in yourself and believing in the outcome is crucial for keeping the determination on course. Motivation will come and go, but if you surround yourself with the right people, people who encourage and prove to you that it’s possible, then that motivation will keep renewing your grit and ensuring the lows are not so low they break your will power to continue.
If you want to meet a room full of people who have the right motivation and determination, then join us for our next Disruption Tour, where you will learn how to turn your determination into a successful business!
Stay troublesome,
Matt Catling
