“The chair became a king’s throne
My destiny found me”
– Nas on “You’re Da Man”
It feels like the older we get, the more difficult it is to keep that same level of motivation that we had when we were younger. There was a certain hunger that’s tough to recapture, especially with knowledge. Time comes at a premium and real life creeps up on us. It’s tough. So how then do you maintain the motivation?
Before we jump ahead though, WELCOME. Welcome to the Ajaxxx.com April 2018 Opinions Column. This is the place where I talk about whatever’s on my mind. And in this episode, I wanna spend a little bit of time talking about maintaining motivation, especially as time passes.
I can’t speak for everyone (of course), but for me it’s really difficult to maintain the motivation. There are times when I spend mad time on a project and it’s not received the way I expect. While it can be discouraging, it might also leave you second guessing yourself. Could I be better? Should I have done something differently? If so, what? And if you’re losing that will to keep on, it’ll affect your craft. So then, how do you maintain the motivation? For me, it comes down to a few things:
1) Love what you do – First and foremost, you gotta love what you do. If you don’t enjoy what you’re working on, that alone is a roadblock in motivation. If you truly love what it is that you do, it’s so much easier to go to work. You’ll be much more focused and actually want to spend time on it, rather than thinking of it as a chore. So first, ask yourself what it is you love? Once you realize that, execute.
2) Let go of ego – This is a good one and honestly a very overlooked on. Stop thinking about your numbers, followers, or views, or whatever other metric you’re using. It’s not about you. Shift the focus on the work and on the end user. Think about the customer or the consumer. It’s not about you. Once you begin to bring value to others, YOUR value will also go up. But if you’re leading with yourself, it makes things a lot more difficult. So focus on the work…and the rest will come.
3) Stop comparing yourself to others – It doesn’t matter what the next guy is doing. Focus on what you’re doing. Obama became president at 47; Trump did at 70. Not the best example (for obvious reasons) but you get the point. Everyone has a unique journey and so do you. So stop focusing on all the outside noise. Internalize…and make these moves.
4) Set goals – it’s hard to reach your destination if you don’t know where you’re going. Check out this video from me to hear more:
5) Be patient – Success takes time. Yes, you may see people get lucky or even exaggerate. Think back to #3. Don’t worry about them. Just put in the work, be patient, and trust the process. It’ll come.
So yeah, those are just some things I use to motivate myself. I’m not even sure how this post ended up being a list, but hey…I’ll take it lol. Anyway, I’m gonna use this list as much as I hope you do now. May you continue to be inspired while maintaining the motivation.
And that’ll do it for me, folks. Until the next one, stay up, stay safe, and hold ya head. Ajaxxx signing out, PEACEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
