Peter's in a weird spot. He should be happy but he's not.
He's built a successful business and has a great team in place that allows him to remove himself from the business. Every entrepreneur's dream.
But he's actually frustrated.
Peter thought that fulfilling that entrepreneurial dream of working himself out of a successful business would let him ride happily into the sunset and enjoy "the good life."
So why is he frustrated?
Because after a couple months of enjoying the fruits of his labor he realized that he wants to accomplish more... But he's struggling to take action.
He's struggling with a sense of complacency that confuses him.
He keeps asking himself "How I can rekindle the fire I had when I was just starting. When I took massive action and smart risks?
Why can't I just get this stuff done? This used to be easy!"
Survival Motivation
When we're just starting out we're able to do things that we really struggle with later on, right?
But why is that?
Because at the beginning we're in survival mode and things are truly a must.
We have to make either tangibly enough money to get by, support our loved ones or emotionally achieve that sense of freedom that we so deeply crave.
Our motivation is so strong that almost nothing can get in our way.
It's so strong that it overpowers any internal friction or resistance we might be feeling and we're able to make the tough choices and take action.
It overpowers our "Internal Load"
However once we've pushed past that point of survival where we don't have to do something anymore, when our internal drive for survival is no longer greater than our fears, doubts or insecurities, that's when internal friction wins out and things start to stagnate.
Peter's situation isn't unique. It's the root cause of why so many people achieve a baseline level of success and struggle to go to the next level.
So why does this happen?
Climbing Success Mountain
Achieving success in business is a lot like reaching a mountain top.
And sometimes the hardest part of reaching the mountaintop is simply getting started and taking that first step.
Mustering the courage and deciding to take that initial first step can be daunting for two main reasons:
- Uncertainty
- Effort
We're never 100% sure that the route we embark on will actually lead us all the way to the top... There probably will be various obstacles that will get in our way and force us to retreat and find another route up.
That's a very challenging reality to deal with, both emotionally and mentally.
Then there's the actual effort we have to make during the climb. The long hard days doing things that are uncomfortable.
Just deciding to take the first step can be daunting enough because of these two factors.
What makes taking the first step 10X harder is that we also carry an invisible yet heavy piece of baggage that we're not consciously aware of but holds us back.
What we're talking about is our internal baggage.
A piece of baggage where we collect a lifetime of fears, doubts, insecurities and mental blocks.
Things that always make the prospect of taking action and possibly failing just that much more difficult.
Now since Peter doesn't have that overpowering survival motivation pumping through his veins anymore... the weight of that baggage, or his internal load is stopping him from taking action and getting to the next level.
And despite the fact that he wants to accomplish more... he's not taking action and complacency wins.
So what does Peter or someone in his position do?
The Motivation Fallacy
The most common mistake people make when they find themselves struggling to get to the next level is that they try to rekindle their lost motivation instead of addressing what's the root cause of why they can't get going.
They say to themselves:
"If I only had more motivation I could get back to those exciting times. When I was able to power through, do whatever was needed and make magic happen!"
So after a bit of research, reading and asking around they come to these two options to get more motivation:
- Softer approach - Re-align with your purpose. Find your "Why"
- Harder approach - Find an external source of motivation, toughen up and push harder (this is the 4am club)
Great solutions, right?
These options could give them enough motivation to make those climbs and take them back to the initial point of excitement where they had the courage and ability to take massive action, right?
In theory yes, in reality no.
Starting work at 4 AM is the easy route. It's a motivational band aid that will eventually fall off.
While reading a powerful story or listening to a YouTube video is very motivating and impactful in the short run, it only addresses a symptom - lack of motivation and not the root cause.
If people just try to power through(without addressing) their Internal Load they they fail at some point due to:
- Unhappiness
- Burnout
- Life event that forces a change
The problem with the softer approach is that it creates a lot of negative confusion. For the more right brained people (creative and emotional thinkers) this often leads to being passive and becomes a justification and excuse to wait on taking any action until "Everything is aligned" or "Feeling passionate again".
The left brain thinkers usually struggle with this approach and simply don't connect with it.
As a side note this softer approach is especially appealing and dangerous to millennials as it provides validity to the idea of not working if you're not fulfilled at all times.
The issue with the harder approach is that it's a temporary motivational band aid that will eventually fall off.
The real issue is not even that these approaches don't work sustainably but that they can create a real negative effect and end up discouraging people.
They feel a sense of failure and embarrassment.
"Why can all these people push harder, but I can't? What's wrong with me?"
But if these approaches aren't long term solutions then what can we do instead?
Lighten the Load
This past year I had the privilege to work with over 100, 6-8 figure entrepreneurs and to my surprise what I saw time and time again is that what creates real sustainable and lasting impact on people's income, sense of calm and happiness wasn't adding more to their toolkit.
It wasn't adding more motivation, more discipline, more resiliency, more leadership skills or even a stronger sense of purpose.
It was actually a systematic process of creating an environment with less!
A mental environment with less fears, doubts, insecurities and mental blocks.
Once we unpacked and lightened the invisible baggage that all we carry - their internal load - they were able to consistently get to the next level even without the "survival level" of motivation.
And the results they started to see on their income, happiness and confidence were radical.
So why don't more people do this?
There are three main reasons.
- Lack of awareness
- Lack of courage
- Misguided fear of extremes
Firstly, most people are unaware that lightening your load is even an option.
Second, while the process itself of addressing our Internal Load isn't extremely complicated it's very emotionally challenging and not everyone is open to the challenge.
The reality is that the honest work of looking deep within and asking what's at the root cause of our deepest fears and insecurities and accepting that we have these issues requires infinitely more courage than simply waking up at 4am and going harder or trying to find some purpose to align with.
But if we want to sustainably achieve bigger and tougher goals, it's a must.
Once people make the investment and do the deep and honest work to address the root cause behind their fears, doubts and insecurities...
That challenging climb up Success Mountain all of a sudden becomes much easier because you're not carrying the weight of all your fears and insecurities on your shoulders.
It will enable you to continuously conquer bigger obstacles even when you aren't highly motivated... because you'll have less resistance along the way.
So if Peter's story hit home and you're struggling to conquer complacency and get to the next level, ask yourself this:
Will I keep putting on more motivational band aids or will I take that courageous first step, look deep within and start lightening my internal load?
Who dares wins,
Itamar
P.S.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to go on an Ayahuasca trip or take years of therapy to lighten your load.
In reality just like everything else in life there's an 80/20 here. A way to create a massive impact with a minimum effective dose.
Call to Action
If you want to focus on the highest impact 80/20 activity to Lighten your Internal Load and begin to conquer bigger and tougher goals with less effort even if you're not super motivated there are two options:
If you're ready to go all in, I invite you to apply for "The Arena"
A group program for entrepreneurs who are hungry for higher levels of success and want to transform their mindset in a proven and systematic sprint.
If you want to first uncover the exact subconscious block weighing you down and holding you back for success the Military Grade Mindset course is for you.
I'll walk you through a 5 part system to go from stress and overwhelm to confidently executing and stop holding yourself back without any motivational pep talks.
