Every morning I wake up between 2 AM and 3 AM, and I write 1000+ words towards one of my topics. I then go run three miles before coming back to talk to my wife on the phone. When I get home from work, I edit my work, create fresh artwork, and publish my article. It has been my daily routine for 173 days consecutively.
At this point, it is not even a matter of motivation; I have hard-wired these events to take place every day. I don’t wake up and decide if I want to write; I decide WHAT I want to write about. It was not hard for me to establish this routine because I see the light at the end of the tunnel.
My goal of becoming a writer is to live on the beach receiving passive income from royalties, along with a military pension, Roth IRA, rental income, and dividends. As I write, I can see my future life on the beach with my wife, kids, and grandkids, and I never question my motivation.
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So, what is motivation? The book “Limitless” helped define motivation and put some good words towards understanding how we derive it. It defines motivation as Purpose x Energy x Small Simple Steps (S3).
Of course, when I began writing, I didn’t have this equation for motivation, but it is a straightforward way to visualize where drive and passion come from. Let’s investigate the motivation equation in my own words.
Purpose. Your purpose may be the most challenging factor of the equation for humans to derive. In today’s high-speed and flashy world, many people lack drive. We are told that we can do anything and be anyone, yet rarely are we given the skills and direction to accomplish these missions.
Finding your purpose starts with looking at your future and deciding where you want to be and who you want to be with. Another good point is that many people do not have a significant other. It is tough to envision your future if you do not have someone else in the picture. This is a whole different topic of conversation, and one for another day.
For today’s discussion, ask yourself what do you truly want in life? If it is to be married and have kids, then that may be your purpose. If you are a woman, it may be to be a mother and homeschool your kids. If you are a father, you may want to ensure your family becomes financially free.
The roots you plant in your life come from your purpose. Finding your purpose may be one of the most critical jobs that you have in your entire life. When I got promoted to E9, Master Gunnery Sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the US Military, I lost my purpose.
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For a few months, I had a mid-life crisis. I had spent the last 20 years working towards this all-encompassing goal of becoming an E9. I asked myself, “what is next?” Next was finding the path to financial freedom for myself, my wife, my kids, and my grandkids.
This purpose has led me to invest in dividends, buy real estate, and write books and articles. This path was my true purpose and one that took me 38 years on Earth to find. Luckily, I have my beautiful wife by my side, traveling along these paths with me. Finding your purpose is a huge topic, so I will catalog it and come back with more articles.
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Energy. I would consider energy the physical aspect of getting your tasks done. For me, muscle memory is vital to continuing to achieve my daily tasks. By muscle memory, I mean forming a daily routine.
When you form a healthy daily routine, the routine is the mission. You do not allow yourself time to think, “should I?” You wake up with a purpose and a mission, never stopping to wonder if you are on the right track.
How do you form habits? They say if you do something for thirty straight days, it will become a habit. I tend to believe this assessment. I tried writing sporadically, and it worked okay. However, I began to feel “moody” and would try to get into the right mindset to write.
Luckily, I read two books titled “On Writing Well” and “The Practice” that tell us that being a writer means that you write every day. Since I have read these books, I have written daily and have loved every minute of them.
Some things to have in your routine are exercise, diet, activity (writing, running a business, studying), and reading. Reading has to play a very prominent role in your daily activities, at least for 30 minutes a day. If you can read something purposeful every day, your motivation will remain strong.
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Form a daily routine of eating healthy, exercising, and reading, and I predict that you will have no issues maintaining energy and accomplishing your goals. If you lack energy, take an honest assessment of what you do daily. Oh, and write your goals down. I refer you to the book “Think and Grow Rich,” which discusses the power of writing down your dreams and reviewing them daily.
Small Simple Steps. The final part of the equation is more tricky than complex. People love to have that big dream but fail to divide it up into small, simple steps. Sometimes, the steps are unknown or hidden, but you can achieve most things by keeping yourself moving forward.
For example, I didn’t know anything about writing, blogging, or publishing books when I began in January 2021. I also didn’t know anything about advertising, marketing, and design. But over the months, I have made it my mission to build knowledge up in each of these areas slowly.
One thing I struggled with was creating a paperback. It seemed like a daunting task. At first, I became frustrated and gave up and continued to make ebooks. The more books I read, the more I understood that paperbacks are an entirely different stream of income. Many people only read paperbacks.
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So I kept at it, watching YouTube videos about the finer details of publishing a paperback. Lo and behold, I released my first one roughly two weeks ago. Due to my tendency to be unique, I use high gloss paperwork with color artwork, so my books are expensive. Nonetheless, I sold a paperback for $15 and made an excellent royalty from it. My hard work has paid off.
Now, my next small, simple step for paperbacks is to release three this weekend, one for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. From there, if I can release one per week, I consider that a win. That is how you become great, slowly and over time.
Combine everything. I like the easy-to-remember equation of Purpose x Energy x Small Simple Steps (S3) = Motivation. If you can burn this equation into your head, you can start to identify your hang-ups if you are having trouble staying motivated.
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For example, if you desire to go to the gym every day, but can’t seem to do it, run an analysis on your equation. What is your purpose in going to the gym—to feel better to look a certain way? Why do you lack energy—busy at work, dealing with kids? What are your steps to get into the gym—is your workout routine too complicated?
By running your analysis on the equation, you may pinpoint the area that you need to fix. I know that building a paperback seemed like a daunting task until I broke it down into small, simple steps. Now, each one I complete, I am making refinements to make the process more efficient.
Your thoughts? It is hard to give you all the answers in 1,400 words, but reading small articles can be just as effective as long books. Write down the equation, and run an analysis each time you try to form a habit but are getting stuck. You may be able to decipher the reason and create a path to complete the task successfully. In life, all we can do is try repeatedly. Enjoy and Happy Investing!
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Disclosure: I am not a financial advisor or money manager, and any knowledge is given as guidance and not direct actionable investment advice. I am an Amazon Affiliate. Please research any investment vehicles that are being considered. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
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