There’s a quote that has had a massive positive impact on my choices since I saw it earlier in the week.
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The quote is from Jocko Willink – I just picked up his latest book, Discipline Equals Freedom, and it’s full of direct, aggressive motivation & inspiration. Sensitive souls might skip this one 😉
Here’s where most people go wrong with quotes: they don’t do anything with them. They don’t take action. It’s like riding a wave in the ocean: you feel something but not much happens and it’s a very short ride.Â
Motivation has to be acted upon.
In his book The Motivation Manifesto, Brendon Burchard explains that there are elements of motivation, just like there are phases of fire.
You can strike a match and produce a flame but if you don’t act on it, it will extinguish on it’s own very quickly.
You have to act in order to sustain and amplify the flame.
This is just as true with motivation. The spark won’t last unless you get involved. Unless you take action. You have to do work to sustain & amplify any spark of motivation.
Quotes like this one give us a spark but what are we doing with it?
With my Fat Loss Fast Track clients I often refer to the “red flag of negotiation” – that moment when we realize we’re trying to justify, rationalize or talk ourselves into a choice that doesn’t reflect our goals.
That’s where I’m using this quote.
When I recognize the red flag of negotiation, I ask “what is driving this choice?“
Is this a choice based on convenience? Impulse? Desire? Laziness? Fear?
Is that what I want driving my choices?
What would the choice look like if it was driven by my goals? What would the choice look like if it was driven by my very best self?
What’s driving your choice? What do you want to be driving your choices?
What are you doing with the sparks of motivation that come into your life?