For Unlimited Energy, Be Driven Instead of Motivated
There is a massive difference between the two.
I was always a hyperactive kid, and now that I’m an adult, I have the same undiminished enthusiasm and energy for life as I did when I was a boy.
As long as I’m interested in a task, I can keep going long after most grow tired and quit.
It’s a trait that is partly genetic —it might have something to do with my ADHD. Hyperfocus and hyperactivity are one of the few somewhat positive traits associated with this disorder.
I cannot take any credit for my DNA. That is up to the ever-fickle whims of the genetic lottery machine.
However, what I can take credit for is adopting a specific type of mentality. A mentality that grants me an elevated level of focus and purpose.
You see, I don’t use motivation. I don’t even like the term.
Motivation is a fickle mistress. It’s temporary. Motivation crumples under the test of hardship.
What I use is something much stronger.
I am not motivated — I am driven.
There is a huge difference between the two seemingly similar terms.
Motivation is Unreliable
“Well done is better than well said.”
— Benjamin Franklin
In 2020, the word motivation has been bandied around so much it’s lost much of its luster.
Motivational coach. Motivational videos. Motivational speeches.
All the motivational messages in the world right now pretty much boil down to one thing: get off your ass and get after it.
And that’s all well and good. The purpose of this article isn’t to downplay the power of motivation.
I myself am an ardent consumer of motivational YouTube videos — I especially love compilations of great speeches by men such as Arnold Swarchzeneggar, men who beat seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve unbelievable success.
The problem is motivation doesn’t last.
Feeling motivated is just that — a feeling. And feelings, no matter how powerful they seem at first, are fleeting.
External Motivation Doesn’t Last
“If more information was the answer, then we’d all be billionaires with perfect abs.”
— Derek Sivers
And that’s the problem with consuming motivational content.
For most people, the problem isn’t that they are unaware of what needs to be done. Most people, consciously or not, know exactly what it is that they’re lacking in their lives.
The problem is doing what needs to be done is hard. So they procrastinate.
And that’s where most people get tripped up — doing something borderline productive to alleviate their guilt but stopping short of actually getting down and dirty and putting in the work.
A perfect example would be somebody who knows he needs to get in shape. He watches hours of instructionals and footage of exercises but stops short of actually, you know, working out.
If you’re not careful, you will fall into the endless loop of:
- Feeling unmotivated
- Consuming motivational content
- Feeling a surge of motivation, but, and this is key, not making concrete, actual, tangible changes in your life.
- The feeling of motivation inevitably drains away over time, as all feelings do, funneling you back to step 1.
There comes a point where you have to put down The Secret, pause that Tony Robbins video, and put in the hard work.
There is a lot of truth to the late martial artist and philosopher Bruce Lee’s saying:
“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”
Doing is key.
And to consistently execute, you must be driven.
Drive Is Innate
“With drive and a bit of talent, you can move mountains. I know. I’ve done it.”
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
The two words motivation and drive get thrown around a lot and are used almost interchangeably when there is a world of difference between them.
The key difference, to me, between motivation and drive is that the former comes from external sources.
You can be motivated by someone else. Your parents, your friends, society at large, heck, even Tony Robbins from your laptop screen is enough to give you a kick in the butt to get you going.
But as we covered above, motivation doesn’t last.
You can be motivated by anything external — love, money, greed. When those factors run out so do your desire to execute.
Being driven is different. It is innate. A primal, intense, all-consuming feeling, bordering on obsession. I am once again reminded Stephen King writing in his memoir, On Writing. When asked about why does he write horror stories, he replied,
“What makes you think I have a choice?”
And that's the distinction, folks.
Motivation makes you feel like you can do something. Drive makes you feel like you can’t help but do something.
The latter is far more powerful.
In Summary: Being Driven = Endless Energy
“If it doesn’t come bursting out of you in spite of everything, don’t do it.” — Charles Bukowski.
Remember this old motivational video where the guru holds an apprentice’s head underwater and tells him:
“When you want to succeed as badly as you want to breathe, then you’ll succeed.”
Super corny and borderline abusive, but we’re invoking the same principles here. Think about it, do you have to “get motivated” to eat?
Of course not. Motivation, much like inspiration, is for amateurs.
Being driven is for professionals.
The very definition of “driven” in Wikipedia states:
(of a person) relentlessly compelled by the need to accomplish a goal; very hard-working and ambitious.
Being driven to do something is not a suggestion. It’s a need, a compulsion. Consider the things we use “drive” to describe.
The sex drive. Driven to despair, to madness.
When you’re driven, getting off your ass to do work is no longer a mere suggestion. You’re no longer fueled by the ephemeral whims of motivation. You’re in the clutches of compulsion, something as primal and as powerful as the urge to mate and seek sustenance, to procreate and survive.
People will have to pull you off your task instead of convincing you to stay on track.
Instead of relying on motivational content, people will eventually look to you for motivation. It’s a beautiful feeling, and looking forward to tackling every day with gusto feels life with a certain delicious zest.
Remember, be driven instead of motivated.
That’s my secret for boundless energy and enthusiasm.
Thank you for reading my story :)
