Contrary to the popular myth, you don’t need to be motivated to get your goals.

Motivation is not required for success.  ACTION is what's necessary.

We only need to motivate ourselves to do things that “aren’t fun.”  Those activities you don’t like to do “require” motivation to get you going.  But when it comes to something you like to do, you never need to get motivated!  You simply get into action and do it. 

Think about it – if you love to shop, you don’t have to psych yourself up to get out there.  You simply go!  But when it comes to things we don’t like, such as taking out the trash or cleaning cat boxes (one of my jobs), we’ll often wait for the incentive or reward before we get in motion.

So, if you're waiting to get motivated toward achieving your goals, you're actually sending an unconscious message to yourself that it's not going to be fun.  And that message will usually create even more resistance, which requires more motivation next time, and so on.  See the negative cycle? 

Instead of seeking that external motivation, I want you to find your internal fuel.  I want you to be inspired from within.  I want you to be so crystal clear about your purpose, and your passion, that you don't need to be motivated.  You'll be DRIVEN to succeed.

If you need incentives to get into action, you’ll hardly ever maintain the level of activity needed to get your goals.  You may be moved into taking big action one day, but once the incentive is gone, the motivation disappears, and the activity stops.  Another bad cycle.

NEWS FLASH - Leaders, take heed.  You don’t need to, nor should you, rely on external motivation to help your teams get their goals either.  In fact, using motivation is dangerous because it often creates dependency. 

When your team members are dependent on your motivation, always seeking rewards, then when your incentives go away, there’s no action!  As a leader, you don’t always want to have to be dangling those carrots, do you?

When you and your team are inspired to take action, everyone finds their own fuel from within to get going and keep going much longer than when they’re externally motivated, especially with tangible symbols like money or jewelry or cars.  Our emotions and desires are what truly drive us. 

So again, it’s not about finding external motivation, but knowing what internally motivates you to succeed.  We all have drivers, and when we tap into them, we are literally driven into action.  If you're not salivating over your goals and taking inspired action every day, you haven't yet discovered your real drivers.

When you tap into your drivers, you’re unstoppable.  But until you tap into your drivers you’re un-helpable.  The only thing you can do is take temporary steps.  

When you’re more driven to avoid your fears than to achieve your dreams, you end up settling for a life of less, a life of restriction.

When you’re fully tapped into your drivers, however, you'll unleash an unlimited supply of internal fuel, and nothing can hold you back from a life of greatness.

For more on this topic, take a listen to the audio “Motivation Not Required,” which can be found at http://coachseansmith.com/audio/motivation-not-required.