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The Productivity Lie That Won’t Die
Synthetic versus Organic Motivation
People who seek out motivation never seem to get enough of it. The feeling intoxicates us like a sugar high, but we crash just as hard. And so we search for more of it to sustain the rush. Affirmations, success seminars, pep-talks and self-help books are examples of this type of catalyst.
Here’s the truth about motivation.
If you rely on motivating yourself to be productive, you likely aren’t productive.
Have you ever attended a “life-changing” seminar only to find your life remains the same? I know the routine. It feels like you’re on the cusp of a breakthrough, and then you lose it. You bash yourself for squandering another opportunity.
Don’t beat yourself up. You never had a chance. The last one I attended some years ago, opened with this question to the audience.
“If a statue was erected in your name, what would it say?”
I raised my hand and asked the most profound question of my life.
“How big is the statue and where is it located?”
The seminar leader lashed out at me for not taking the exercise seriously. Despite the rough opening, I bought into his bullshit.
