The motivational gurus would have you believe that inspiration is the key to your success. After all, that is what they are peddling.    

What if they are wrong? What if it’s not motivation or inspiration that leads to success but something less sexy, less trendy, and less ethereal.  

What if success is simply the result of self-discipline? 

Motivation requires you to be in a specific state of mind to initiate or execute a task. You need to feel like exercising to exercise. You need to feel like prospecting to prospect. 

While this may work for a day or three, we all know that it is not sustainable.  

Self-discipline removes the emotions from the decision to do the task to get you the results you desire. You don’t feel like going for a run, but you go anyway. You don’t feel like calling past clients, but you do it anyway.    

The reward is that you feel amazing afterward. Not in a gimmicky, frivolous, motivational speaker sort of way but a deep, authentic recognition of your successful action towards your goals. This deep feeling of pride and accomplishment makes it easier to decide to do it again tomorrow. Eventually, you develop a grove, and you are on your way to creating the life and career you want.   

This idea came from the Nature of Sales course that we are beta testing with a small group of guinea pigs. Thanks to all of them for their deep work, reflections, and sharing. I am learning so much and hope to have a course available for the rest of you soon. 

Photo by Clique Images on Unsplash