Motivation is a drug.

The more you take, the more you need. When that ‘high’ and enthusiasm for doing your work doesn’t come from within, you keep searching for quick fixes that push you over the edge—temporarily. Your heart no longer finds joy in struggle or hard work, it only wants a rush of dopamine that drowns out your fears. But the moment it wears off, all your fears come back running.

Most people keep choosing the quick fix; a select few rise above it and find clarity. It’s time to get you into the exclusive club.

Why We (Think) We Need Motivation:

Because two false ideas take over our minds:

• Everything in life should be effortless.
• Your work should always make you feel good.

The truth is effortlessness does not exist. Everything you get in life is in direct proportion to the effort you put forth. 10X the effort in the right direction, and you’ll get 10X the results. It’s simple mathematics.

Which brings us to the second myth: feeling good. Growing (in all walks of life) is meant to be challenging. It’s an uphill climb that takes effort and doesn’t always feel good. But it serves a greater purpose: building your mind muscles. It’s exactly like building your physical muscles. The pain, the stretch, the tiny rips create room for a powerful transformation. 

But the moment we hit that struggle, we back off. We think, “Something must be wrong with me. Why don’t I feel good like everyone else?”

Anddd…down we go into the spiral of searching for more motivation, more dopamine, more adrenaline, more anything that will block out these thoughts, help us escape reality, and numb that voice. But…

How Long Will You Run Away?

There comes a point in your life where running away no longer makes sense. The sad part is most people come to that point late in their lives—when they can’t undo those wrong decisions. The good part is, you can come to that point anytime you want, you just have to make the choice.

The question is, how long will you keep running? The motivation you seek isn’t going to tell you the answer. It’s just a pump of oxygen, a tool, that pushes you to run even when you’re breathless and panting because to stop would mean to face your fears. 

But what if you did? What if—instead of scrambling for more motivation—you just let the fears come at you? What if you just let yourself breathe for once?

Lana Del Rey attempts to answer that question in her song, Change:

“Every time that we run, we don’t know what it’s from.
Now we finally slow down, we feel close to it.
There’s a change gonna come, I don’t know where or when,
But whenever it does, we’ll be here for it.”

In slowing down, you get to know your fear. You pull it out of the darkness and dare to look at it dead in the eye. In that moment, your heart skips a beat, the noise in your head gets louder than a plane, “People will think you’re stupid. Who are you to try? No one’s even going to take you seriously. You’ll give up before you even get started. You’re so weak. You’re a mess.”

You take a moment to listen to it and then, it’s all back to normal.

You stop running away. By facing your fears and acknowledging them, you rise above them.

That’s the solution to most of your problems. You don’t need another dose of motivation to drown out the voice. Just listen to it for once and it will stop troubling you. Your life is ready to change for the better. All you need to do is pause and be there for the change. It’s the only way you’ll grow.

You have enough drive, ambition, inspiration and strength to embrace real growth. The truth is already within you. Instead of searching for it on the outside, strip back the noise and face yourself.