Motivation is great. When we feel motivated, we feel like we can do anything. No obstacle is too big and there is always a solution.
Once you are in that groove and things are going well, it is easier to keep moving. But what happens when that motivation wanes? Too often we treat that as a reason to stop moving and wait for motivation to return, sitting around waiting to be inspired into action again.
That is the wrong question. How to get unstuck has almost nothing to do with how motivated you feel and almost everything to do with whether you are moving.
Waiting for motivation is what keeps you stuck
It is unrealistic to think you can be motivated all the time and constantly operate at that upper level. There are always going to be peaks and valleys in your performance. The length of those valleys is up to you.
If you wait for motivation in order to take action, you may be waiting a long time. It is easy to trick yourself into staying put once that inertia builds up.
Motivation does not come before action. It comes after it. Action is movement, that movement creates momentum, and that momentum creates motivation.
The longer you wait to start moving, the harder it is to get started. Even a slow start builds momentum.
That is the whole shift. You stop asking what would make you feel ready and start asking what movement is available to you right now.
Motivation vs momentum: the difference that matters
The myth I have seen over my years coaching both rugby and leadership is that people think of motivation as something that shows up. Something you can wait for, like inspiration striking randomly in the shower one day.
Does that happen? Of course. At the end of every vacation I take, I find myself itching to get back to some problem or project I have new ideas for.
But you cannot take a vacation every time your motivation wanes, and your team cannot wait a week for you to get your energy back.
Motivation and momentum feel very similar. Both are wonderful winds at our backs that make the work seem easier. Confusing the two is what leads to the inaction.
Focus is much better spent on momentum, because momentum is internal. It is something you can create. When it comes to consistent performance, the key is focusing on what is in your control. You cannot always wake up feeling motivated, but you can build the life management systems that consistently create momentum.
Why one-hit wonders fizzle out
Why do one-hit wonders fizzle out instead of sustaining their success? It comes down to focus.
Early on, bands play every gig they can find. Five nights a week for crowds of less than 20 people, doing whatever they can to get reps and practice their craft, all of it for one opportunity to make it big.
For some of those bands, the big break comes. With that success there is a very dangerous pitfall.
On top of all the classic potential downfalls for a rockstar, the reason some of them get stuck as one-hit wonders and cannot repeat their success is that they lose sight of the process. Instead of grinding and focusing on the craft, they shift to a mindset of "I'm great, so I can create greatness."
Without the grind, the work becomes hollow and they struggle to find success again.
The same drift happens in your business
You work for years to solve a marketing problem, and then suddenly things seem to break open. You look at all your efforts and say, "Wow, we finally made it. Now we can focus on other things instead of lead generation."
You do not shut down the marketing department. It just stops being the focus.
As your focus drifts, you stop doing the little things that drove that early success. Facebook Ads may have worked, but the real driver was you knocking on doors, shaking hands, and kissing babies.
Stop doing those things and the success is likely to dry up with them, just like with the one-hit wonder bands.
How to get unstuck: start with quick wins
The key to building momentum is quick wins. Call it motivation or momentum, but you need to build up to the bigger tasks of the day.
When that motivation stalls, the best way to restart things is to focus on creating quick wins. What can you do right now to start building momentum?
In rugby, when the momentum is against your team, the key is to focus on the things you can control that start to create momentum. You cannot just score right away. You need a big hit, a turnover, good basics, and then you score a try as the cap to the momentum.
Too often, athletes try to do something big instead of building the momentum they need to regain control of the game and win. The try is the cap on the momentum, never the thing that creates it.
Your day works the same way. The big task is the try. The quick win is the big hit and the turnover that make it possible.
Getting out of your own head and into movement is the same counter I use against imposter syndrome at work. Action is what breaks the spiral, whether the thing stalling you is doubt or just inertia.
Process over outcome
Whether it is business, rugby, or your everyday life, the key is to focus on the process over the outcome.
The outcome is outside of your control. You can do everything right and still not get the result you wanted.
If you focus on that outcome, then not achieving it is devastating. When it is in danger, we do stupid things to try to protect it. Think of throwing a crazy skip pass in rugby, or agreeing to a handshake deal with an iffy new partner in business.
When we go back to the basics and obsess over the process, we maximize the variables we can control. That in turn drives the best likelihood of long-term success.
It is the same lesson the one-hit wonder learns too late. The gigs in front of 20 people were the process, and the hit record was only ever the outcome.
Stop waiting and start moving
Do not live in a feast-or-famine cycle with motivation. Shift your focus to momentum and find ways to get moving again.
Three questions worth sitting with before you close this tab:
- When was the last time you felt your motivation wane?
- How did you react?
- What is a tool or trick that can help get you back on track next time it happens?
If you want more ideas on how to build momentum and quit focusing on motivation, watch my full video on Motivation vs Momentum. If you are interested in joining a tribe that pushes each other to do more, you can learn about the Steel Men Tribe or go straight to the application.
Most importantly, do not waste any more time waiting for motivation. Take action today and start building the momentum you need.
Do this work with other men doing it too
The Steel Men Tribe is a brotherhood of men who hold each other to the standard they set for themselves.
See the Steel Men TribeFrequently asked questions
How do you get unstuck when you have no motivation?
Stop waiting for the feeling and start with a quick win. Motivation does not come before action, it comes after it. Action creates movement, movement creates momentum, and momentum creates motivation.
What is the difference between motivation and momentum?
Motivation feels like something that shows up on its own, so people wait for it. Momentum is internal and something you can create, which makes it the one worth focusing on if you want consistent performance.
Why do one-hit wonders fail to repeat their success?
They lose sight of the process. The grind that earned the break gets replaced with a mindset of "I'm great, so I can create greatness," and without the grind the work becomes hollow.
What does process over outcome mean?
The outcome is outside your control, so building your focus around it makes failure devastating and pushes you into risky decisions to protect it. Obsessing over the process maximizes the variables you actually control, which gives you the best odds over the long run.